The Aftershock II suborbital rocket built by California students has broken the world record for the highest flight altitude for a rocket assembled by a non-government and non-profit group. It rose to an altitude of more than 140 kilometers.
Aftershock II was built by a team of students from the University of Southern California Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (USCRPL). It already had experience in rocket science. In 2019, the group successfully launched Traveler IV, the first student rocket that managed to cross the Karman Line. It runs at an altitude of 100 km and is accepted as the boundary separating the Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. Traveler IV managed to reach an altitude of 103.6 km, reaching a maximum speed of 5,449 km/h.
Since then, the student team has been aiming to break both their own record and update the world altitude record for amateur rocket engineering. It was set back in 2004 by the Civilian Space Exploration Group. At that time, a rocket built by them reached an altitude of 115.82 km.
To surpass this achievement, the students built a new rocket, designated Aftershock II. According to project manager Ryan Kraemer, it was given the most powerful solid fuel engine ever developed by amateurs. To reduce weight, composite materials were used in the construction of the Aftershock II. As a result, with a length of 4 meters and a diameter of 0.2 meters, its mass was 150 kg. The rocket was also equipped with a new avionics unit and an improved safety and data transmission system. A combination of heat-resistant paint and titanium-coated fins was used to protect against extreme temperatures and pressures.
Aftershock II was launched on October 20. The rocket reached a maximum speed of 5,797 km/h, reaching an altitude of 143.38 km, breaking a 20-year old record. After that, the nose part of the rocket, which contained the measuring equipment, separated and made a successful descent by parachute.
Provided by viterbischool.usc.edu
