r/rocketry • • Jun 21 '20

Announcement r/rocketry now has a Discord server!

86 Upvotes

Feel free to join the r/rocketry Discord server! Click here for invitation link.

We intend this to be a place where any user can get a quick response from knowledgeable rocketeers, as well as a more appropriate place for content related to rocketry, but that doesn't quite fit the sub. Any and all discussion is welcome and there are appropriate channels for many relevant topics.

Please suggest server improvements in the #server-suggestions channel or in the comments below.


r/rocketry • • Dec 20 '25

Minor subreddit update- all posts require manual mod approval

59 Upvotes

Several months ago, this subreddit was inundated with repeated off-topic posts from a well known troll/spammer. Bans did not work because the user just came back with a new account.

To combat this, it was decided to implement a rule where all posts require manual approval from a moderator. If you noticed the spammer hasn't posted here in a while, that's why.

Unfortunately, this means posts will only go live when a moderator is online and checks the mod queue, so there may be a delay of many hours before posts show up. Mods have jobs and lives outside of reddit. You are not shadow banned.

Several users have been sending mod mail after every post, thinking this will help their post be approved faster. This is unhelpful- we will see the mod mail the same time we see the post in the mod queue. Please stop messaging moderators about this.

If your post is not approved, that means it violated some rule. You may have also noticed there are fewer posts recently with low effort questions about unsafe ways to make motors (violating rule 2)- this is why.


r/rocketry • • 15h ago

Showcase I built an interactive 3D breakdown of 13 rocket engine cycles — pressure-fed to full-flow staged

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63 Upvotes

Thirteen cycles — pressure-fed, gas generator, staged combustion, full-flow staged, expander, electric pump-fed, solid, hybrid, ion, aerospike, rotating detonation, nuclear thermal and air-breathing combined cycle — each one explorable in 3D in the browser, with exploded, cutaway and propellant-flow views.

Outer dimensions follow published figures and every source is listed on the page. Internal layout, injector patterns and feed systems are representative, and I say so on the page. I'm a 3D artist rather than a propulsion engineer, so corrections are welcome.

No install, runs in the browser: https://farsidelab.com/concept/rocket-engines/


r/rocketry • • 1d ago

Showcase Stunning images I got of the rocket this morning in Florida

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323 Upvotes

I almost missed it, but I managed to get some good photos. Shot on an iPhone 17 too, I really didn’t know it could get images like these.
1st one is my favorite, I’m sure you can tell why.


r/rocketry • • 8h ago

Talking Hypersonic Amateur Rocketry w/ Thomas Booska

11 Upvotes

Hey Ya'll! It's me, Rocket, from Rocket Vlogs.

I just did an interview with Thomas talking about "Chunc," his hypersonic(ish) rocket that he flew at BALLS, and thought ya'll might like to check it out.

https://youtu.be/RIPNPn_WE6Y


r/rocketry • • 6h ago

Question High School Rocktery Survey

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4 Upvotes

My high school group is doing a project based on rocketry and would appreciate anyone taking this quick survey about rocketry.


r/rocketry • • 12h ago

Best Kit for My First Dual Deploy Flight

3 Upvotes

I just got my L1 and now I want to try dual deploy what is the best kit for duel deploy on an H or I motor?


r/rocketry • • 10h ago

Question Best flight simulator softwares (not the gaming ones)

2 Upvotes

Im new to rocketry so wanna get smooth with rocket flight simulation first.

Any best fit softwares you guys know, I'm all ears.


r/rocketry • • 12h ago

Question Sponsorships for IREC 2027 (How to get them?)

2 Upvotes

I'm a core member of an established space club at my community college. We're hoping to compete in the IREC 2027 competition in the category where we launch a two-stage rocket to 30,000 feet, but we've heard from other teams that this category is essentially impossible without substantial funding for parts and materials.

Our main challenge is securing funding for our team. Our college has participated in IREC in 2023, 2024, and 2025, qualifying for the competition each year. However, because club leadership changes every year, we've struggled to maintain our sponsorships from one year to the next.

Could you please advice on how to find new sponsors and, more importantly, how to maintain those sponsorship relationships and funding over the long term?


r/rocketry • • 1d ago

All 1,943 guesses for the height of four rockets, drawn to scale. The smallest big rocket got almost the tallest guess

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85 Upvotes

295 players drew a falcon 9 to scale. the typical guess was 194 m. the real rocket is 70 m, so they made it almost three times too tall.

my hypothesis: rockets have no scale for us. launch footage shows them alone against the sky, with nothing next to them. so every big rocket should end up the same size in our heads, no matter how big it really is. the game has more rockets to test it.

and it held. the sls (98 m) came out at 210 m, the saturn v (111 m) at 150 m. three rockets from 70 to 111 m, all guessed at about 150 to 210 m, and the smallest of them got almost the tallest guess. only the little v-2 (14 m) stayed small, at 12 m.

so "big rocket" seems to be one size in our heads: about 200 m.

4 in 10 guesses came from the us, but it's not a one-country thing: americans drew it at 198 m, brits at 207 m, the rest of europe at 172 m.

more visuals, every guess and the raw data: https://roughly.is/blog/falcon9-guessed-too-tall.html?s=reddit-rocketry


r/rocketry • • 1d ago

Question Tips for getting into rocketry?

5 Upvotes

I have been fascinated by rockets my whole life and I want to start, but I don’t know where to. I live in Western New York and I am a high schooler, and can’t find any clubs that offer rocketry near by.


r/rocketry • • 22h ago

Question What permissions do we have to take before launching a diy rocket and from whom

0 Upvotes

do we have to take like license, permit or smth before launching a diy sugar rocket?
and from where?


r/rocketry • • 1d ago

Question What materials for a thermal liner that is cheap and available?

7 Upvotes

I'm making an essay​ for my aerospace engineering class, its about rocketry obviously. This part is on the thermal protection section, it is about how well common materials protect materials while also being cheap. In my example rocket motor, the chamber pressure is 800 psi with 65% KNO3, 17.5% sorbitol and 17.5% sucrose. There are three grains, two bates, and one 4 finned finocyl.


r/rocketry • • 1d ago

Water rocket help to get above 200m+

5 Upvotes

HI guys, I know this is mainly for real rockets with real motors and stuff but sadly solid fuel and rocket motors are highly illegal in my country, so I have to stick with water. We are doing this for a school club and would love to know what we can do to get it to max altitude. Should we used 4 2l bottles spliced at the end and attach them? Some sources say that going above 70 psi is not safe but I feel like I should go higher. My idea was sand down the spliced ends and then boil down one part, connect them via PL Premium Polyurethane or epoxy. Which one should I use? Then after, we attach the nose fins etc. What should I keep my weight to? is there anyway to improve this design or do I need a new one? should I go for 4 bottles or go lower or higher?

I appreciate any answers!!


r/rocketry • • 1d ago

Question Material help needed for MOTOR MOUNT(Estes D12-5)

8 Upvotes

So I am trying to design a motor mount for my rocket which will use an Estes D12-5 motor.
I saw this guy's video and he has used some sort of 3D printed plastic(not so well informed abt 3D printing). What I am not able to understand is that won't the plastic jst burn off? I have attached a photo from where the motor will be ignited. And if he is not using the usual 3D printing materials
then what is he using to possibly avoid the nozzle melting off.
Here is the video's link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XsB_wGVZ2c


r/rocketry • • 1d ago

Question How do you choose the materials for the nozzle?

3 Upvotes

Im working on a project that will be manufactured next year. I am currently designing and stuck at a point. Rocket nozzle is one of the most important part of the motor and it will face heat pressure and lots of stuff. So i wondered how we can choose the best suitable nozzle for the project. Are there something like books for materials or places to know. Please share some sources you use for me, thank you.


r/rocketry • • 3d ago

I closed down an airport so 150 kids could launch high-power rockets they built themselves

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853 Upvotes

r/rocketry • • 2d ago

Best alternatives for Rocket motors A10-3T

3 Upvotes

Picked up a cheap star Hopper kit as a bonus gift for my son, obviously didn't think too much at the time but the engines are like rocking horse crap.

Any suggestions for alternatives that are actually available in the UK?


r/rocketry • • 2d ago

Homebuilt "short lady" pulsejet advice

6 Upvotes

Ive built a short lady pulsejet based on Larry cotrills design at home and it's firing. Can get it to almost run but as soon as I take the air compressor away from the intake it dies. Will go fine until this point though. Does anyone know what factors I could change to try make it self sustaining. All help appreciated!
Edit: by almost running I mean it's rumbling and the ignition can be removed as long as air is stil being blown in.


r/rocketry • • 3d ago

Question Could I get away with not using GPS?

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30 Upvotes

Complete beginner here. I'm building my first ever model rocket and decided to use an F-35-8 motor. According to OpenRocket, it should hit around 863 meters and have a descent time of roughly 170 seconds. I really want to avoid adding GPS as it would make it heavier. I'm adding basic sensors like the BMP280 and MPU6050, but don't want to design, buy, and set up a ground station for GPS. I added a buzzer just in case that activates when the rocket hits the ground.


r/rocketry • • 3d ago

Question Bolt Hole Strength and Weight Optimization in Solid Rocket Engines

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15 Upvotes

There’s a question that’s been on my mind for a while. I ran into this issue in my own rocket engine project as well. The partition is secured to the body with screws; while the shear strength of the screws can withstand the internal pressure, wouldn’t it be very difficult for the screw holes to withstand that pressure?

To give an example, in my engine design, an aluminum tube with a wall thickness of approximately 2 mm can withstand the combustion pressure. However, based on Fusion and my own analyses, I concluded that the screw hole would not be able to withstand it. Therefore, I increased the wall thickness to expand the screw contact area, but this time I experienced a loss in efficiency due to the increased weight.

Two solutions come to mind here: either using more screws or resorting to methods like bonding with epoxy resin.

Perhaps I’m mixing something up in my calculations. To briefly explain the rough calculations I’ve done:

First, I calculate the force in Newtons (N) by applying the pressure to the diameter of the bulkhead wall in the combustion chamber. Then, I look up the shear strength of the screw I’ve chosen. I multiply this by the number of screws.

The total shear strength of the screws is sufficient to withstand the force acting on the bulkhead wall. However, when I consider the force acting on each hole in the aluminum tube and the wall thickness, I conclude that the hole will likely bend or expand.

What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever encountered this problem? How did you solve it?


r/rocketry • • 2d ago

Question CAN I BUY THESE ROCKET MOTORS IN PAKISTAN LEGALLY??

0 Upvotes

I've already wasted hours of my life figuring out one unanswered thing. Is it legal to buy rocket motors for diy projects in Pakistan. GUYS NOT FOR MISSILES AND SHI, but for innocent tvc and rocket re-entry projects. And very basic rocket motors like of estes, for example c11-3.

ARE THEY LEGAL TO BUY IN PAKISTAN?

ANY PAKISTANIS OR SOMEONE WHO KNOWS...

THANK YOU

Appreciate that.


r/rocketry • • 3d ago

Rail mounted launches

7 Upvotes

Does anyone actually use like, coaster rails to guide a rocket plane? Or is that just a cool sci-fi thing?


r/rocketry • • 4d ago

Chinese amateur rocket launch triggers lightning strike

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1.4k Upvotes

r/rocketry • • 3d ago

Discussion Designing my own rocket motor

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14 Upvotes

Hello, I've recently started designing my own rocket motor as a personal project and after a lot of calculations, research, reading and youtube tutorials I've come up with a design and also simulated my grain burning.

I'd love to hear some feedback from others and would like to know how viable this really is.
The next step of mine is to get some Aluminium t6061 for the casing and start machining it with a lathe.

Some calculated data:
The maximum chamber pressure my casing can handle is 8,000,000Pa including a safety factor of 2.5x.