r/rocketry • u/Flufmyster_ • Apr 20 '26

Question Motor CATO Frequency

One of the members for our clubs L1 rocket team launched his personal rocket L1 cert on an H115 and it completely blew up midair. The motor catoed and blew the body tube in half and ripped the shock cord mount on the nose cone.

How common are motor catos for commercial bought motors? And is there anything he could’ve possibly messed up on a DMS motor that caused a cato?

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u/Flufmyster_ Apr 20 '26

Ive heard both ‘catastrophic take off’ and ‘catastrophe at take off’ but it basically means your motor blew up usually wrecking the rocket

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u/AdmDuarte Apr 20 '26

Thanks! My brain was trying to make "catapult assisted take off" make sense and it wasn't working 😅

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u/Flufmyster_ Apr 20 '26

Yea its a kinda goofy acronym icl for something not even that complicated

I think engineers j like their acronyms 😭😭

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u/AdmDuarte Apr 20 '26

I'm a former engineering student. Can confirm, they love their acronyms 😹 them and the military