Students with Princeton SpaceShot Team Launch from Spaceport America
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On Sunday, May 27 students with the SpaceShot project team of the Princeton Rocketry Club launched a two-stage, solid fuel rocket from Spaceport America, the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport. The launch marks the 102nd flight from Spaceport America's vertical launch complex. The launch took place at approximately 9:39 a.m. (MDT), which was within the dedicated launch window, and flight data indicates the rocket attained a maximum altitude of approximately 47,610 feet, falling short of the original mission objective of reaching suborbital space at the Karman Line (327,360 feet) due to a second stage ignition failure. The parachute recovery system successfully deployed, leading to a safe recovery. |
SpaceShot team members, who are Princeton University students, and Spaceport America staff cheered as the rocket soared off the launch pad at the Vertical Launch Area. Viewers around the world were also joining in via Facebook Live on the Spaceport America channel with over four thousand views. "Even though we fell short of the Karman Line we had an incredible opportunity to work as a team, learning hands-on over the course of the year, and launch at Spaceport America." - Saad Mirza, Princeton student and Project Manager |
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The SpaceShot rocket launched from the Spaceport America Vertical Launch Area on |
"The students' rocket is, to my knowledge, the smallest rocket that has ever been built that is capable of reaching outer space. We are very proud of the students for this fantastic achievement. Building and flying a real rocket provides experience that cannot be duplicated in the classroom." - Luigi Martinelli, associate professor of Mechanical and Aerospace engineering at Princeton |
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"We are pleased that this is the Princeton's Rocketry Club's highest performing flight thus far, and we look forward to building off of the lessons we learned from both the construction and launch phases of this project." - Coleman Merchant, Chief Engineer and Designer |
"We are very pleased that Princeton SpaceShot selected Spaceport America to conduct their attempt to reach the Karman line. These students have a very bright future in the rapidly expanding space industry. I'm sure some of them will help take us to Mars and beyond." - Dan Hicks, Spaceport America CEO |
We thank you for your continued support of Spaceport America. For more information, please contact Spaceport America at +1 (575) 267-8500 or info@spaceportamerica.com Sincerely, |
