Recap: Months ago I flew a prototype rocket called the Panda. Due to a glitch in the electronics hardware, drogue deployment occurred as it was increasing in velocity roughly at 500 miles per hour. Surprisingly, most of the rocket is repairable even with the extreme forces involved. Had the failure occurred at its max velocity of around mach 1.2, I'm sure the results would have been catastrophic to all portions.
I'm am moving forward with repairing the Panda for another launch.
Here is the replacement tubing that goes just in front of the motor. I craft this with a 0.4mm spiral 3d printed center tube used as a mold. I use mold release compound so it can be removed later.
The first layer is 2oz fiberglass. The other layers are 6oz twill carbon fiber, rolled on to base tube and wiped to remove excess epoxy. The result is an extremely strong rocket airframe.
I am still making minor modifications to the electronics bay as I was not happy how tightly I had to pack the previous iteration. While these changes are not necessary for relaunching, I figure iterate while I repair as I enjoy the innovation side.
Concurrently, I am working on some remodeling of my EZI-65 rocket as well as repairs. The EZI-65 routinely launches over 10,000 feet above ground level and has launched 36 times for a total cumulative altitude of 288,300 feet. In May 2020, it had a motor failure that destroyed part of the rocket. I am rebuilding some portions, and am replacing the nose cone (not necessary) with a Von Karman style of my own design with a 5:1 ratio. I'll include pictures as I complete the repairs and design modificiations.
