GALLERY
GALLERY
Echo comin’ down hot
Prepping Scout D1 for flight - this launch failed due to a pad wiring fault
Lifting the Echo landing vehicle for a drop test
Static fire of the Echo landing vehicle
Just before booster sep on flight 1 of the Falcon Heavy model
Stable flight of the Falcon Heavy model at dusk
Right before boost phase 2 on the Falcon Heavy model
The burning debris on the right is a piece of paper used to direct exhaust in the flame trench during ignition
Liftoff!
The Falcon Heavy model waiting on the launch pad
The Impulse D2 computer controls all ground operations during launches and static fires
Leg deployment on the Echo landing vehicle
Launch
Pitch-over
Correction
Ascent
Echo - Landing Test 1 - Tracking cam
Echo - Landing Test 1 - Ground cam
The FH center core and second stage perform a static fire on the launch pad in preparation for the first full flight of the Falcon Heavy Model
First launch of the Falcon Heavy Upper Stage. Pretty poor stability on this flight.
Echo begins its landing burn. Ignition timing is decided and executed by the Signal flight computer, based on real time velocity, orientation, and altitude data
The Echo landing vehicle
A development version of Signal, running a propulsive landing variant of the Signal flight software
Electron soars past the moon at dusk
The base of the Electron rocket, next to the Impulse launch pad computer
Signal R2 flight computers during production
A model of the Rocket Lab Electron, built as part of the "Build Signal R2" video series
Packing up Signal R2 thrust vectoring kits for shipment
24 sets of thrust vectoring servos after passing quality control
Signal R2 by the OG2 Falcon 9 rocket booster in Hawthorne, CA
Right around center core ignition
The center core of the Falcon heavy drifts back down
Ascent
Staging
Slightly early chute deployment on the side boosters
Liftoff of the Falcon Heavy boosters
Pre-production versions of the Signal R2 flight computer. Each production round, several PCB colors are ordered just for fun!
Myself, the Falcon Heavy model, and Tim Dodd, The Everyday Astronaut
Echo lifts of at the NAR's National Sport Launch in Geneseo, NY
Falcon Heavy test fit on the new unpainted launch pad
Early on in the build of the 3 core launch pad, specifically built to accommodate either 1 or 3 core launch vehicles
Upper stage of the Falcon Heavy - essentially the minimum viable airframe for the Signal R2 kit
Flight test of the experimental "G8ST" by Aerotech. An 8 Newton burn for 17.7 seconds
Rising through the grass
The beginning of the user-error test for Signal R2
The Signal R2 flight computer passes the user-error test. The vehicle rights itself within moments of liftoff, even with a misaligned vectoring mount
Front side of the development version of the Signal R2 flight computer
First flight of the Signal R2 computer, using the Falcon Heavy center core as a test bed
Back side of Signal R2 Dev
Thrust vectoring mounts coming down the production line
Omega launches at an angle
Deploying the paratrooper payload and re-orienting to upright
Omega pressurizes its piston ejection system to deploy parachutes
T-0 on the pad
Scout C3 tests Signal's course correction feature, plotting and executing an aggressive orientation change mid-flight
Scout C2 overcorrects due to a miscalculated "D" value in Signal's stability PID controller
An active canard capable version of the Signal flight computer
Scout C1 lifts of at dusk
Scout C1 gimbals it's main booster to remain on course
Echo B1 on the way down
Echo B1 rises at dawn, late summer 2017
A successful static fire test of Scout in June, 2017
Piston-based parachute ejection test featuring an experiment grid/straight fin design
The first BPS PCBs ever made(and the first I've ever designed). Vector Avionics was a very early prototype of the Signal Avionics system
Relay F2 going up
Relay F2 coming down
Relay F2 waits on the pad, next to the preflight and launch checklist binder
During a snowstorm, an experimental dual engine TVC design is tested
Fire pours out the bottom of Relay F1 during a ground test
Echo TV7 waits on the pad before launch
Good shot of the "flight engage" cable. Roughly 0.5 seconds before ignition, the connection between this cable and the rocket is severed
Vehicle startup key inserted in Echo TV6
Echo TV7 coming down on 3 out of 4 chutes - one failed to open due to low descent speed
Aerial coverage drone just before lifting off to begin an automated flight pattern
Running through pre-launch checks for Echo TV5
Echo TV4 against a dark sky
Liftoff of Echo TV3
Liftoff of Echo TV2
Echo TV1, partially labelled a few days before its first flight
Echo TV5 waiting on the pad
A cute dog walking by during rocket prep for Echo TV5
Echo TV2 going straight up
Echo TV1 just after main propellant loading
Scout V 0.9 waits on the pad before launch
Running a quick drag fin check on Scout V 1.0 at the launch site
Liftoff of Scout V 0.8
Scout V 0.8 in an early stage of the building process
Cutting down airframe screws to save mass. Every gram counts
An older design of the thrust vectoring mount and skirt at the bottom of the rocket
Making airframe modifications to Scout V0.8
Scout V 1.0, just about ready for flight
Scout V 0.8 during loading of the flight software
The old gutted Fetch flight computer used for Scouts V 0.4 - 0.7 next to the smaller Fetch flight computer used in Scouts V 0.8 - V 1.0
Scout V 0.7 hides under a mylar blanket while waiting for the rain to stop
An early concept of the new thrust vectoring mount
Building the internal cabling for the Fetch flight computer
The old ignitors on top used unsuccessfully for both attempts to launch Scout V 0.6, vs the more powerful bottom ignitors used for Scout V 0.7
A damaged Scout V 0.5 lies on the launch pad after flight
Scout V 0.4 after "landing"
Scout V 0.4 on the way down, gimbaling hard to try and stay upright
Remaining cheerful just before Scout V0.4's launch in January, 2016. Don't think I slept the night before
Performing standard landing gear checks before launch
The modified flight computer used for Scout V 0.6 and 0.7
Scout V 0.4 and 0.5's flight computer all wired up!
In the process of designing Scout V 0.4
Printing the launch/landing leg mont for Scout V 0.4
During construction of the upgraded articulating launch pad
Overhead view of the original landing leg design
The "first stage" of Scout V 0.4. Technically stages 1 and 2 if you count retro-propulsion as a stage
Scout V 0.4 before paint and labeling
Building the first drag fin assembly of the Scout program
CAD screenshot of the thrust vectoring system used for Scout V 0.2 - 0.7
Scout V 0.1 sits on the pad after its first launch
The control system used in Scout V 0.2 and 0.3
Scout V 0.1's damaged control system after flight
An early concept build of Scout V 0.1's thrust vectoring system
Painting the launchpad
A heat absorption test article and main booster for Scout V 0.1. An early construction of the Fetch flight computer can be seen in the top left.