Space Concordia launched its Starsailor suborbital rocket on Friday, August 15 at 5:34 a.m. Eastern with mixed results, but achieving a couple notable firsts.
Those firsts included the first rocket launch from Quebec and the first student suborbital launch approved by Transport Canada with the goal of trying to reach the Kármán line which is considered the edge of space at a 100 kilometres in altitude.
While the launch appeared to start smoothly, it was approximately 23 seconds into the launch that the team reported that “vehicle split apart into 2 pieces.” Space Concordia said “the nosecone (came) tumbling to the ground” and that the airframe coasted “briefly before following suit.”
After the launch, and during the webcast, a representative said the “second stage separated early” and mentioned MaxQ, which is when the rocket will be under maximum aerodynamic pressure.
Space Concordia said in a press release, “The team is continuing to review data to find the root cause of the anomaly.”
The team highlighted several areas where they had success. “The launch successfully demonstrated several key vehicle systems. The propulsion system, including the propellant feed system and engine, performed nearly flawlessly, along with nominal avionics performance up until the anomaly. The mobile suborbital launch tower, Bigger Ben, survived the launch with only minor charring, and the GPS trackers in the airframe allowed the team to pinpoint the final position of the rocket debris. Despite a premature end to the flight, the team is thrilled to have launched the largest student-built rocket ever flown.”
The Canadian Space Agency issued a statement on LinkedIn that in part read, “To the students, partners, and mentors who brought this to life: your success is inspiring a new generation of Canadian talent and showing what’s possible when bold ideas meet persistence.”
Space Concordia said that “recovery operations are ongoing to bring as much of the rocket back to Montreal.” They’ve retrieved the flight computer “and hope to recover the airframe, and any surviving onboard camera footage.” The recovery of the airframe will happen later this week when an area is cleared so a helicopter can land near the debris site.
Images of the Starsailor launch
Livestream replay
