The last two days we saw a lot more system tests including dealing with our nemesis from last year; testing the Flight Termination System (FTS). As you probably heard by now we also decided to delay the first launch attempt to Wednesday the 14th of October. The reason for this delay was luggage getting lost during our transfer to Spain. One of the missing suitcases contained crucial electronic components preventing us from performing some planned tests. While this suitcase has been recovered it did cause delays in our planning resulting in a rescheduling of the launch. Luckily we made good progress on many other fronts and this will be the focus of this blog post.

Igniter test
The Stratos II+ won’t fly without the engine being ignited. As with all systems the ignition system is thus also to be tested. The igniter for the DHX-200 Aurora engine powering the Stratos II+ is essentially made out of a blasting cap encapsulated in steel wool.

Rocket engine igniter being tested

Flight termination system test
The problems of the FTS was one of the main culprits which was at the root of the failed attempt to launch the Stratos II rocket last year. In order to prevent a recurrence the FTS was completely revised over the past year and thoroughtly tested. One final test was performed on Friday in order to make sure that the system will function correctly during the launch. The FTS module was driven to the Spanish-Portuguese border by car (66 kilometers away), to test that the system still works over a long range. The system was tested at an output power of only 1% of it’s maximum and was still working fine!

The Transmitting side of the Flight Termination System

Capsule assembly
The capsule has been fully assembled. The clamp band system which is used to disconnect the capsule from the body of the rocket and to release the parachute was finally tested to satisfaction. With the completion of these tests assembly of the capsule could move ahead. The team worked until Wednesday evening to complete the assembly. The capsule is now ready to have the flight computer and experiment payloads installed.

The Stratos II+ capsule nose cone is fitted onto the payload bays.

Raising the tower
Today we also practised raising the launch tower, which was streamed live on the internet. Practising the raising of the tower is important in order to ensure that a lot of team members know how is goes.  This way we can always quickly get people together when we need to raise or lower the tower during the launch attempt without having to wait for specific people to arrive. In addition the tower and rocket are quite heavy and one must be careful that the whole thing does not tip over during the procedure. For the readers who have experience with sailing; the process is not unlike mounting the main masts on a sailing boat. With most of the live stream equipment in place this event was also a nice opportunity to be live.

Join us on Wednesday the 14th for the live broadcast of our attempt to launch the Stratos II+ halfway to space! You can watch the preparations and launch on Ubideo.