Between June and August 2014 five static tests (#6 – #10) took place with the DHX-200 Aurora hybrid propulsion system after the motor had been on the test stand five times at the facilities of TNO, Rijswijk in 2013. This was the final set of full scale ground tests to be conducted with this system before the launch…
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This week the propulsion team produced the grains that will fuel Stratos II in October. The hybrid DHX-200 Aurora motor uses liquid nitrous oxide to oxidise the solid fuel grain in the combustion chamber. The solid fuel grain consist of sorbitol, paraffin and micron sized aluminium powder. A mixture of 80, 10 and 10 percent…
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Today (the 24th of June 2014) we are officially 100 days away from the launch of Stratos II! And is was noticable here in Delft, as everyone has been very busy in the last few weeks. Our amounts of updates on the site have been a bit behind due to all the activities, so let…
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DARE is proud to announce that in cooperation with Futura Composites the glass fiber nosecone and upper body tube of the Stratos II project have been produced. The body tube and nosecone are critical parts of the capsule. They carry all the structural loads that the capsule will experience during flight. During the past few months a…
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To date (May 2014) the Stratos II propulsion team has had two static test campaigns of the DHX-200 Aurora at TNO. Both campaigns resulted in the motor rupturing the chamber and the test being stopped prematurely. This issue and the solution to it has been talked about in previous blog posts. What was not mentioned…
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Dear readers. Here is, just before the end of the month, finally the new Stratos II newsletter. In this small, concise document you can read about the latest major developments of the Statos II project. This time: The engine tests and the launch site selection.
Over the past week, the propulsion team has been busy preparing for the last full-scale test. During the previous test, we encountered another burn trough of the chamber (see the previous story). Investigation of the chamber and grain afterwards suggested that the grain cracked during operation resulting in the flame reaching the wall. The…
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DARE is proud to announce the cooperation with Peekstok, a metal working company from the Rotterdam area. Peekstok will be producing several bulkheads for the Stratos II capsule module and the injector manifold for the hybrid engine. Peekstok is a metal working company that specializes in the machining of parts for the shipbuilding and…
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Below here you can find the very first DARE – Stratos II newsletter. This newsletter is made as a small general overview of our activities that we aim to publish to our relations and to the world regularly to keep you updated of our activities.
The last months the Stratos II capsule team spent a lot time in finishing the design of the Stratos II Capsule. Finally last Monday they presented the final design of to all other DARE members. The main purpose of the capsule is to provide a safe structure for the payloads and electronics and to bring…
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