Rocket-LaunchedEgg PayloadGlider

Overview

This project involved the design of a small-scale rocket-launched glider capable of carrying an egg payload, taking off from a short runway, flying beyond the required distance and landing without damaging the payload.

The task combined aircraft configuration design, aerodynamic sizing, rocket motor integration, payload protection, CAD modelling and production-ready technical drawings.

My work focused on turning the coursework brief into a complete engineering design package. I defined the design requirements, developed the initial concept, produced the CAD design, carried out performance and sizing calculations, selected the aerofoil and rocket motor, created the final glider configuration, produced renders and generated the technical drawing package for manufacture and assembly.

Concept Development

My initial concept used a streamlined fuselage, high-mounted wing and high rocket position to help align the thrust line close to the centre of mass and centre of lift. This was intended to reduce unwanted pitching moments during powered launch and improve flight stability.

The concept also explored a slight dihedral arrangement to improve lift characteristics and landing clearance. During design review, I identified several weaknesses that needed further iteration, including the structural challenge of supporting the tail on long booms, the stability requirements of the tail and the manufacturing difficulty of using wing angles that would improve performance without making the design overly complex.

This concept was later developed into the final design, with the main lesson being that aerodynamic efficiency had to be balanced against structural simplicity, manufacturability and payload protection.

Amalgamated Initial Design

I created the amalgamated initial design as the first integrated aircraft layout. This design combined the strongest features from the early concepts into a single configuration that could be refined through calculation and CAD development.

The initial integrated design used:

• A cambered aerofoil concept to improve lift characteristics.
• A high-mounted wing for stability and clean packaging.
• A V-shaped tail to improve stability and reduce drag.
• A curved fuselage to improve the aerodynamic profile and soften landing impact.
• Rocket placement aligned as closely as possible with the centre of mass and centre of lift.

This design became the basis for the final glider configuration and helped define the direction for the CAD model, aerodynamic sizing and manufacturing drawings.

Aerodynamic and Performance Work

I carried out the aerodynamic and performance calculations used to size and validate the glider. These calculations covered aerofoil selection, rocket motor selection, take-off properties, wing dimensions, tail design, V-tail construction, centre of gravity, neutral point and static margin.

The selected aerofoil was the SD7037 because it provided the strongest lift-to-drag performance among the considered options while operating at a low angle of attack. I used the SD7037 at 150% thickness to improve leading-edge camber, support low-speed flight and make the aerofoil more practical to manufacture.

Final calculated wing dimensions:

• Wingspan: 750 mm
• Chord length: 75 mm
• Taper ratio: 1
• Sweep: no sweep
• Wing area: 5.625 × 10^-2 m²

The final rocket motor selected was the Klima C6-5 because the calculations showed it could launch the glider within approximately 1.5 m while maintaining a suitable climb profile.

Final Design

The final design used the SD7037 aerofoil at 150% thickness for both the main wing and tail, a curved front fuselage, a V-shaped tail, a lightweight built-up structure and a secure rocket mounting arrangement.

Final specification:

• Wingspan: 750 mm
• Total length: 419 mm
• Wing chord length: 75 mm
• Tail chord length: 56.12 mm
• Aerofoil: SD7037 at 150% thickness
• Rocket motor: Klima C6-5

The final design was developed to balance aerodynamic performance, payload protection, launch stability, low mass and manufacturability.

CAD and Technical Drawings

I produced the CAD design and final technical drawing package for manufacture and assembly. The drawing package included the overall glider assembly, wing assembly and wing box, rocket assembly, tail assembly and fuselage assembly.

The drawings included third-angle projection views, assembly views, exploded and detailed component views, millimetre dimensions, tolerances, surface finish notes, part callouts, Bill of Materials references, manufacturing notes, rocket bay details, egg compartment details, aerofoil geometry, wing box geometry, tail assembly geometry and fuselage manufacturing details.

Bill of Materials

I produced the final Bill of Materials and manufacturing documentation for the aircraft. The BoM captured the key materials and purchased parts required for the glider build, including balsa sheet, spruce sheet, balsa trailing edge stock, obechi strip, solar film, cyanoacrylate adhesive and the Klima C6-5 rocket motor.

Key Metrics