Homemade rocket reached 9 km altitude

In the eyes of most people, making rockets is the job of giant institutions such as NASA or SpaceX. American YouTube broadcaster Joe Barnard, on the other hand, took the rocket, which he prepared even with its own fuel, to an altitude of approximately 9.1 km and exceeded twice the speed of sound. However, the most talked about moment of the flight was when the rocket's own computer opened the parachute too early.

Barnard, an American rocket enthusiast and YouTube blogger, also accelerated his vehicle to a speed of over Mach two. Moreover, he prepared the rocket from start to finish with his own means.

How was Joe Barnard's rocket made?

Barnard developed both the rocket and the control system himself. The upper part of the fuselage is made of nine layers of glass fiber to withstand loads at supersonic speeds. The lower part is reinforced with a carbon fiber pipe.

A solid fuel unit producing approximately 2300 N thrust was used as the engine. Additionally, Barnard prepared the fuel mixture himself. That's why the Joe Barnard rocket stands out as a personal project from start to finish.

A separate computer called Fluctus managed all critical operations of the flight. Thus, the rocket's speed and altitude data were monitored from a single center.

Camera capsule and Fluctus computer

Fluctus; measuring speed, pressure and altitude, launching the camera and deploying the parachutes. On the other hand, the camera side was also prepared carefully. Barnard disassembled a GoPro Hero 12, turned it upside down, and placed it on a 3D-printed body. The software was adjusted to shoot 240 frames per second.

The capsule was equipped with a gyroscope and a rotating flywheel to prevent it from rolling over after separating from the rocket. This flywheel kept the position of the capsule constant. A brake streamer and GPS tracker were also added for returning to the ground.

Why was the planned recording left incomplete?

It was possible to take images from an altitude of approximately 9 km, but the landing of the rocket could not be recorded. Fluctus mistook pressure fluctuations for signs of an immediate decline. So he ran the emergency scenario ahead of time.

As a result, the camera capsule and parachute mechanisms were deployed while the rocket was still flying at over 700 miles per hour (about 1127 km per hour). The resulting aerodynamic loads tore the parachute and ripped it off from the upper section. Despite this, the camera itself remained intact.

The crew found the capsule approximately 350 meters from the launch pad. So the Joe Barnard rocket returned with an incomplete recording, but the camera was recovered safely.