Other Plans

-Hotfire Test Stands-

Elliptical has begun hotfire testing of various hotfire stands. The goal is to research how a motor firing affects 3D printed filament.

The first pad, HFS1, completed 2 successful hotfires. However, it was overbuilt, and the goal of the program is simplicity, so it was retired in favor of an upgraded successor.

We took the design of HFS1, got rid of most of it, leaving only the inner tube. We then made it so barely any of it is actually touching the motor, minimizing heating and making it far easier to remove the motor. Then, we added two prongs to allow for the stand to be held down. All of this creates HFS2, also called Aquarius due to its color. This also makes the switch from PLA to PETG. It had its first hotfire, but was unsuccessful.

-Custom Launchpad-

Elliptical is planning to create its own custom launchpad. We hope to have it completed and ready for its first launch in 2025.

The pad will be used to support future large sized rockets we launch. Smaller vehicles will likely continue using the existing Estes pad. The pad will be made out of wood, and the deflection system will be a hole in the ground. While this may sound rudimentary, we have tested this technique with hot fire tests of motors before and have determined it to be able to serve our needs great.