Reinventing Space Conference

BIS-RS-2015-75

First Steps Towards the Kingston

Space Shot
Dr. Adam M Baker
Kingston University London

Dr. Malcolm Claus

Kingston University London

Baker 1 Reinventing Space Conference 2015

 BIS-RS-2015-75

First Steps Towards the Kingston Space Shot

Adam M Baker, Malcolm Claus
Kingston University London
Roehampton Vale Campus, Friars Avenue, London SW15 3DW, United Kingdom.
Tel. +44 (0)208 417 4722
a.baker@kingston.ac.uk

ABSTRACT
Kingston University London students supported by sponsors are working towards the most ambitious
educational space activity the UK has ever seen: a low cost Space shot or rocket launch to beyond the
100km Karman line, with vehicle recovery.
The Kingston rocket launch aims to contribute to the UK civil space strategy 'Access to Space'
element, the National Space Technology Strategy’s Access to Space roadmap, and it is hoped it will
act as an inspiration to a new generation of scientists and engineers.
The first step in a staged development programme began in summer 2015, with the design of the low
altitude test vehicle and initial testing of its hybrid rocket engine propulsion unit.
Kingston University's School of Aerospace & Aircraft Engineering MEng class have been given a
target of designing a vehicle capable of reaching an altitude of 25km (80000ft) that can be fully
recovered for multiple uses, and to conduct an initial test launch in the summer of 2016.
Design work coupled with engine static tests at the KURocketlab began in July 2015. The vehicle will
be designed around an engine that will demonstrate the full capability of the KU Rocketlab small
space propulsion test facility. The engine and rocket Preliminary Design Review is planned to take
place immediately prior to RISpace 2015.
Subject to support from existing and new sponsors who are assisting the student project team, the
intention is to commence build by the end of 2015, conduct a system testing in early 2016 and be
ready for launch by summer 2016. Success will be the first step on the road to a low cost sounding
rocket capability and ultimately, with industrial and academic partners, improved UK access to space.

KEYWORDS: structure hybrid bipropellant engine testing instrume ntation sounding rocket

Copyright © 2015 by Adam M. Baker. Published by the British Interplanetary Society with permission.

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INTRODUCTION
ACCESS TO SPACE AT KU
Kingston University London students supported by
sponsors are working towards the most ambitious
educational space activity the UK has ever seen: a low
cost Space shot or rocket launch to beyond the 100km
Karman line, with vehicle recovery. Underlying this
long term aim
 The Kingston rocket launch aims to contribute to
the UK civil space strategy 'Access to Space'
element, the National Space Technology
Strategy’s Access to Space roadmap, and it is
hoped it will act as an inspiration to a new
generation of scientists and engineers.
 Kingston’s rockets aim to market test interest in
the low cost sounding rocket market which the UK
left some years ago with the conclusion of the
Skylark programme. Europe has limited capability
here except for Rexus / Maxus rockets using non
European solid propulsion, and developments in
HTP hybrids at Nammo.
 Early flight swill act as a stepping stone towards
flight test of a liquid oxygen hybrid rocket engine
under development at KU with support from
Newton Launch Systems.
 Kingston also aims to explore low cost structural
approaches which have the potential to be scaled
up to a future UK small satellite launch vehicle.
STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES FOR SMALL
VEHICLES
Problem 1: inert mass fraction rises (and absorbs
payload fraction) as gross liftoff mass decreases.
A small launcher can be defined in coarse detail
starting with a minimum payload to orbit. Assuming
this to be nominally 100kg, and using historical data
for payload mass fractions of between 0.5-1%
indicates that a gross liftoff mass of 10-20t is likely
using conventional, low cost subsystems.
Subsequently this mass will need to be validated using
realistic inert mass fractions and ultimately a detailed
model. However a major challenge for small vehicles
is the Cube-Square law: as rocket size decreases, the
physical volume scales as the cube of the linear
dimension (say, diameter), whereas the physical
quantity of material (e.g. propellant tank wall) varies
with the square of the linear dimension. Hence the
ratio of inert material to contained material such as
propellant increases as scale decreases – the impact
being that the inert mass fraction rises as the size of
the vehicle falls, and the vehicle must be oversized to
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deliver the required deltaV. Inert mass fraction is
defined as where ‘m’ refers to mass.
minert
f inert 
m prop  minert
Further, the drag loss for small vehicles can be
considerable, as boundary layers transitions and base
area take up a much larger portion of the external
surface, relative to contained propellant. Again this
requires an increase in contained deltaV to reach the
same (orbital) velocity. Efficient approaches to
minimise structural mass without driving development
or recurring cost too high are needed.
Problem 2: very little data on small rockets flying
supersonically and in particular using cryogenic fluids
is available. Most amateur rockets of any reasonable
size use solid motors or nitrous oxide hybrids, most
sounding rockets use solid motors, and the majority
for which data is available do not fly in excess of
Mach 1 for extended periods to enable an accurate
drag profile to be computed.
For credible small vehicle designs to be developed
and ultimately costed, testbeds must be built to
generate flight test data with cryogenic oxidisers,
assess structural approaches, provide instrumented
data to allow accurate trade offs between the many
possible propulsion and structure options to be made,
and to evaluate other low cost systems including
recovery, avionics and stage separation.
ACCESS TO SPACE AT KINGSTON
Kingston undergraduates and postgraduates have been
researching low cost approaches to access to Space
since 2012, as well as developing a hands-on test
facility for a range of small chemical rocket engines
and related components such as tanks.
Launcher structural approaches
In July 2014 a group of 5 M Eng students concluded
their 9 months study into structural options for a
small (50-100kg payload to orbit), 3 stage launch
vehicle, comparing pressure stabilised, composite and
semi-monocoque approaches. A trajectory profile and
flow analysis for a vehicle with a stage diameter
transition between 2nd and 3rd stages, and established a
maximum Mach # of 0.95 at Mach 1.3.
Further , the group conducted a detailed analysis of a
semi-monocoque partially pressure stabilised 3 stage
vehicle . This used semi-monocoque load bearing
propellant tanks supported by a number of
longitudinal, circumferential and (1st stage base)
crossbeam composite members.
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Figure 1 – Preliminary vehicle design and high speed
flow model (Kingston University – M Edwards)
A notable result was an initial gross liftoff mass
estimate for the vehicle of 11.1t, with an inert mass
fraction at vehicle level of 0.125, varying between
0.11 for stage 1 to 0.29 for stage 3.
The vehicle concept design is shown below:
Figure – LOx hybrid rocket engine CAD model
shown in cutaway (Kingston University – Ben
Edgley).
A Liquid oxygen Fluid feed system has been designed
to take LOx from a minitank supplied by BOC, to
transfer it to an intermediate 25litre capacity low
pressure insulated vessel able to fit into the test lab,
and then to remotely transfer the cryogenic fluid into a
high pressure aluminium alloy run tank . The fluid
system, shown below, is designed to support gaseous
nitrogen pressurisation at up to 60Bar gauge, to
provide a gaseous oxygen ignition / high voltage
spark ignition system, and a remote purge / Lox dump
capability. Valves and plumbing are provided by
Swagelok and are remote actuated using pneumatic
pressurisation:

Figure 2 – 3 stage small satellite launcher concept

design (Kingston University – L Karaveckas)
The third stage received less focus than the larger
booster and second stage, which was part of the
reason for the higher mass fraction. However it was
noted that a 2 stage vehicle, although likely having a
higher overall mass than a 3 stage design, would have
larger stages which might be able to achieve lower
values of inert mass and at lower cost, which was
noted as an area for further research.
Figure – LOx hybrid rocket engine fluid control
LOx Hybrid engine preliminary design system (Kingston University – Alex Pickard)
A small (300N-1kN thrust) liquid oxygen oxidiser /
HDPE fuel engine has been designed built and a fluid
feed system assembled through 3 successive
undergraduate projects. This engine is shown in cross
section below, and with the injector end closure and
graphite nozzle end closure shown in enlarged form:

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The engine and a steel frame test stand designed to
support it and a number of other smaller hybrid
engines is shown below
Figure – LOx hybrid rocket engine components
(Kingston University – Tim Hodgkinson, Mat
Bestelink, Chinonso Ezekwe, Alex Pickard)
The image above shows also shows modular HDPE
fuel grains, left; a Tufnol (cotton / phenolic) chamber
liner , right, and an experimental SiC coated graphite
nozzle fabricated by Archer Technicoat Ltd under a
grant for the CEOI-ST / UK Space Agency National
Space Technology Programme, centre.
A number of development steps are planned in 2015
to reach the first test firing, including
 Hydraulic testing
 Plumbing degrease and pressure test
 Cold flow with liquid nitrogen
 Full system test of valves under remote control
with gaseous N2 at low pressure.
 Ignition tests.
Tank development
Kingston University has also begun exploring low
cost propellant tank manufacture to ensure that flight
vehicles are able to deliver the required propellant at
suitable pressures and low mass. In house design and
manufacture of cylindrical tanks with flat end caps as
the lowest cost solution has produced initial hardware
which is due to be hydraulically tested shortly, an
example 3 litre capacity tank in Al alloy with a design
MEOP of 75Bar gauge is shown below:
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Figure – Prototype N2O and LOx oxidiser tank for
200mm diameter test vehicle (Kingston University -
Chris Walker, Ben Edgley)
Further, Kingston University has been working with a
local engineering consultancy, Geodome, to explore
applicability of modified off-the-shelf pressure vessels
from the water and fire safety industries. Polymer
lined composite, and bespoke composite wrapped
stainless steel lined tanks have been explored, and
destructively tested. Example propellant tanks based
on a glass fibre hoop overwrapped thin stainless steel
liner (8 litre water capacity) demonstrated in increase
in operating pressure from 12Bar gauge to over
50Bar, with a leak before break failure at 80Bar
pressure.
   
Figure – stainless steel fire extinguisher tank liner
and overwrappe d sectioned composite tank
(Garvey Aerospace, Geodome)
The images above show an example tank liner derived
from a water containing stainless steel fire
extinguisher, designed to operate at low pressure , was
structurally analysed by Geodome and then
overwrapped cured and tested by Geodome using
facilities at Kingston University and with the
assistance of a team of final year M Eng students.
Further optimisation of this approach to provide an
alternative lightweight tank option for flight vehicles
is expected with CEOI-ST / UKSA grant assistance in
2016.
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TEST PROGRAMME

Rocket Lab – instrumented testing

Kingston university students have since 2011
designed, built and validated a small scale chemical
propulsion test laboratory at the Roehampton Vale
campus in SouthWest London. This facility is
designed to allow undergraduate and graduate
students to acquire practical skills in rocket engine
design, manufacture and test. The test facility can
accommodate hybrid and bipropellant engines up to
several hundred N thrust using green propellants (e.g.
N2O, O2 oxidisers and hydrocarbon fuels), with full
fume extraction and remote observation and control
capabilities. The lab has recently undergone a major
renovation and Health & Safety review to ensure that
undergraduates under supervision can acquire
practical experience in rocket engine testing. The Figure – Instrume nted test setup for small 50N
rocket lab and sound / blast proofed test cell class GOx / PMMA hybrid (Kingston University -
(dimensions 2 × 3.5 × 2m) are show below: Wajahat Ahsan)
The Test stand is currently set up to monitor oxidiser
delivery fuel grain and test cell ambient (fan exit)
temperature pressure at multiple points in the flow
include Pc, and thrust using a Sensor Techniques Ltd
platform load cell rated at up to 500N.

The image below shows a GoPro frame capture from

a vortex injection firing of the small GOx / PMMA
hybrid attached to the test frame above. The oxidiser
injection is to the left and the plume is to the right.
The fuel grain was burnt until failure in this case,
showing a considerably reduced Oxidiser to fuel O:F
ratio compared to that expected for an axial flow
firing.

Figure – Kingston University Rocket Lab test cell

(gas extraction at rear of cell)
A data acquisition unit provided by Airborne
Engineering Ltd under Kingston SEC faculty support
is able to monitor 16 temperature channels, 8 pressure
channels, multi axis loads up to 1.5kN with kHz
sampling frequency, and control automated valve
sequences. A pulse counting capability for future flow
measurement is also built in. Recent test on a small
gaseous oxygen / PMMA hybrid rocket engine with a
vortex injector has enabled the data acquisition system
which runs on a Linux platform to be calibrated and
customised. The current test stand setup is shown
below.
Figure – Vortex present in small hybrid PMMA
fuel grain (Kingston University – Stuart Watson).
The Rocketlab will shortly begin hot firing a series of
small bipropellant engines developed through PhD
and MSc research, where vortex chamber cooling and
SiC coated ablative nozzles will be evaluated for their
potential contribution to low cost chemical
propulsion.

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 requirements to be met. This is the subject of
ongoing research at Kingston.

The image below shows the current design which is a

semi monocoque using a lightweight skinned
spaceframe based on composite tubing. Sections in
blue represent the LOx oxidiser tank and nitrogen
pressurant tank.

Figure – Wajahat Ahsan with his vortex flow small

hybrid rocket engines, designed built and tested
during this 9 month 3rd year MEng individual
project.

FLIGHT VEHICLE PROGRAMME

Concept design – LOx hybrid

The project brief agreed with the current M Eng group
of 9 students is to develop a concept design and
trajectory prediction for the High Altitude Test
Vehicle HATV under guidance from Newton Launch
Systems. HATV is a single stage sounding rocket
capable of reaching 25km altitude with a LOX /
HDPE hybrid rocket engine, which will be derived
from the engine mentioned earlier in this paper, once
a full static test programme to characterise it has been
completed. The HATV will be not be built during this
project which runs between July 2015 and May 2016,
but is to be the subject of further collaboration
between Newton & Kingston in 2016.

The HATV design is being completed now, and the
outline design specification is as follows:
- 5kN thrust LOX / HDPE engine using 5 chambers
- 4m length and 175-200mm diameter.
- Gross liftoff mass 65kg
- Inert mass 25-26kg (inert mass fraction 0.38-0.4).
The majority of the structure mass is in the engine
chamber casings which will be the subject of
further detailed analysis.
- Predicted altitude using a range of in house and
open source / commercial tools 20km+.
- A range of launch sites in Scotland including the
Mull of Galloway / Stranraer recently used by
Celestial Mechanics for a high altitude 2 stage
launch are under consideration. Water recovery
options are under consideration.
- Thrust vector control may be needed to enable the
design altitude to be reached and range safety
Figure - Kingston / Newton high altitude test
vehicle concept design (Kingston University –
Aidan Nicholls)
Flight vehicle – N2O hybrid
Following conclusion of the HATV concept design
which is aimed at determining system level feasibility,
the group will design, build and test a low altitude
vehicle which will fly on a small (up to 1kN thrust)
nitrous oxide of N2O / HDPE hybrid rocket engine.
This engine is to be tested in the KU Rocketlab early
in 2016, and the majority of the parts have already
been designed and built . The LATV is a scaled
version of HATV and although it does not have an
altitude target, the ability to launch it to a sufficient
altitude to test all the rocket systems and provide
experience for the future HATV construction is

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desirable. A land based launch in southern England
with the support of the UK Rocketry Association is
being sought.
Figure - LATV parts , commercially procured and
machined at KU RV campus workshops.
Figure – Kingston University M Eng group with
PhD student Linas Karaveckas discussing recovery
options for LATV.
The images above shows a number of the parts
already assembled including off the shelf oxidiser
tanks, carbon fibre body tubes and engine
components. Many of these are likely to be used for
an early 2016 flight test of critical systems including a
flight hybrid rocket engine, avionics / payload and
recovery systems.
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CONCLUSIONS
Kingston University London and its RocketLab are
aggressively pursuing an ‘Access to Space’ agenda.
Through the development of a functioning rocket
laboratory investigations into some of the problems
associated with low cost access to space are being
investigated. The KU Rocketlab has been functioning
for 5 years but only recently began beginning to meet
its goals of supporting both teaching and research
(group and individual projects) This current academic
year there are several projects investigating
rocket/space propulsion including
 Small sounding rocket systems.
 Fully instrumented small chemical propulsion
laboratory
 Vortex flow hybrid& bipropellant rocket engines
 N2O and LOx hybrid rockets
 Low cost composite and monolithic metal
propellant tanks
 Mas efficient structural design approaches for
small rocket vehicles
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Kingston University would like to acknowledge the
generous support of the faculty of Science
Engineering & Computing who have provided the test
lab, control room and additional storage space, and
funded a bespoke Airborne Engineering Ltd data
acquisition system for rocket engine testing, as well as
providing invaluable Health & Safety insight. The
authors are particularly grateful to John MacBean,
Kevin Attree, Helen Sharman and Peter Barrington.
Stuart Watson, Jack James Marlow and the Kingston
University Rocket Propulsion Group (RPG) were
instrumental in providing the data and images for this
paper and the authors are grateful for their help.
Kingston University would also like to thank its
sponsor Newton Launch Systems Ltd and Martin
Heywood in particular, who have provided
consumables and materials plus invaluable technical
advice to a range of undergraduate and postgraduate
projects over the last 3 years.
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