Last Saturday the propulsion team performed a successful ignition test. During a rainy test day on the architecture field the full scale motor ignited on the first try. This is the build up for the full scale tests that the team will start with this week. 

The ignition makes use of  a bypass valve supplying the motor with a reduced flow of Nitrous oxide while a pyrocharge igniter is fired. It takes 4 seconds for the motor to be heated sufficiently before the main valve opens and starts the engine.  During this test the combustion chamber was hooked up to a regular N₂O gas cylinder. With this the igniter and the heating up of the chamber could be tested.

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This test is the last test before the full scale motor test scheduled for this week. On this Wednesday (the 15th) the tests will start, running on to Thursday. After that there will be a long weekend during which the team will be able to make spare parts and prepare possible solutions they may have encountered on the Wednesday and Thursday. Then the campaign will continue on Tuesday the 21st and will end on Wednesday the 22nd.

There will be plenty of updates coming up during these days to keep you posted, so keep checking the site for the most recent updates during the test campaign. For now however, you will need to satisfy yourselves with the video of the igniter test below.