The vehicle

ASCENT-H1

3.7 m of fiberglass around a Contrail M2800-BG nitrous-oxide hybrid. Dual deployment recovery, a 5.5 kg payload canister and two independent GPS trackers. Proven on the ground and in a systems flight before the Mojave.

ASCENT-H1 / FLIGHT
Simulated flight · 1-DOF model

Flight conditions

Payload mass5.5 kg

Trim shot tunes apogee without changing the 500-point payload score.

Pad temperature11 °C

11 °C is the standard atmosphere at the 620 m FAR site. May temperatures at FAR average 22–34 °C.

Wind5 mph

FAR-OUT does not launch in winds over 20 mph. In this model the ascent stays vertical and wind moves the landing point.

Apogee
7,000 ft

2,134 m · Δ +0 ft vs 7,000 ft contract

Max velocity
217 m/s

Mach 0.64 · 710 ft/s

Peak acceleration
21.6 g
Rail exit (4.88 m guided)
30.5 m/s

100.1 ft/s

Meets 100 ft/s design rule
Liftoff thrust-to-weight
9.70 : 1

Certified-summary average / liftoff weight

Meets 8 : 1 minimum
Main descent
15.4 ft/s

4.70 m/s

Within 25 ft/s payload limit
Flight time
3:29

209.4 s

Landing drift
421 m

Downwind from the pad

Camera
Loading ASCENT-H1…
PadT+0.0 s
0 ft0.0 ft/s
0k
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Contract
▸
Altitude
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Velocity
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Acceleration
0.0 g
Mach
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Flight phase: Pad
0 s215.4 s
BoostCoastDrogueMain

Simulated with a one-dimensional point-mass model: the supplied Contrail M2800-BG thrust samples from a user-submitted ThrustCurve file, 4.4 kg of propellant burned in proportion to impulse, the standard atmosphere from the 620 m FAR site adjusted for pad temperature, and a constant drag coefficient of 0.569 calibrated so the baseline reaches the 7,000 ft contract. Baseline rail-exit speed and payload-trim sensitivity match the supplied reference values. The ascent is vertical and wind only moves the landing point. Scene at true scale; terrain and lighting are illustrative. This is a calibrated model, not measured flight data or an independent OpenRocket validation. Checks use the supplied project thresholds, not a complete launch-safety assessment.

OpenRocket · revision C

Rocket components

Stability: 5.74 cal at Mach 0.300 · screenshot
0 cm50 cm100 cm150 cm200 cm250 cm300 cm350 cmCG 213 cmCP 279 cm123456NOSE → TAIL · REV C · AIRFRAME 364.15 cm · Ø 11.43 cm

Dimensions are from the supplied OpenRocket rev C file. Its airframe is 3.6415 m long; the motor extends beyond the tail. The rounded programme specification remains 3.7 m / 114 mm.

SECTION 01 · 571.5 mm · 0.00 cm from nose

Nose cone & forward tracker

571.5 mm fiberglass 5:1 von Kármán nose with an aluminium tip. A forward Featherweight GPS tracker has its own battery and switch. Six radial screws pin the shoulder to the payload bay; the nose is removable on the ground, not a recovery separation point.

OpenRocket screenshot results

Loaded mass
27.026 kg
Without motor
16.326 kg
Apogee
2,152 m
Max. velocity
217 m/s
Max. Mach
0.643
Max. acceleration
212 m/s²

Results transcribed from your OpenRocket screenshot, not measured flight data. The uploaded file has simulation setups but no saved time-series results. The flight workspace separately calculates a calibrated 1-DOF model; the contract apogee is 2,134 m.

The default configuration requires Contrail_M2800-BG_KFUPM.rse, a custom curve modelling 4.4 kg of propellant and the oxidizer draining from the forward tank. That motor file is not included in this upload.

01Specification

Vehicle specification

Category
FAR-OUT 2027, Category A (3,000–15,000 ft), COTS hybrid
Length
3.7 m
Diameter
114 mm (4.5 in)
Liftoff mass
27.0 kg
Contract apogee
2,134 m (7,000 ft)
Thrust-to-weight
9.7 : 1
Rail exit
30.6 m/s (100 ft/s)
Payload
5.5 kg / 5.5 L
Motor
Contrail M2800-BG 98 mm nitrous-oxide hybrid
Recovery
Dual deployment: drogue at apogee, main at 1,500 ft; payload lands under 25 ft/s

02Subsystems

How it works

Aerostructures

A 4.5 in fiberglass airframe, 3.7 m long, built around the 98 mm motor tube. Three trapezoidal G10 fins with a carbon tip-to-tip overlay are mounted through-the-wall onto the motor tube with Aeropoxy fillets, sized to keep at least 1.5 calibers of stability at rail exit in a 10 mph crosswind. An Aero Pack RA98 retainer holds the motor.

    03Motor

    The motor

    Contrail Rockets M2800-BG, 98 mm COTS hybrid, nitrous oxide

    Total impulse
    6,060 N·s
    Average thrust
    2,570 N
    Peak thrust
    4,964 N
    Burn time
    2.3 s
    Isp
    ≈ 280 s
    Dimensions
    98 × 1,524 mm
    Hardware
    98/60 XF BG with 5.3 L N₂O tank
    Certification
    TRA certified

    The 5.3 L tank sits inside the 8 L Category A first-entry limit, and the 9.7 : 1 average thrust-to-weight clears the 8 : 1 FAR-OUT 2027 minimum.

    Thrust curve

    04Recovery

    ASCENT-H1 Recovery Sequence

    ASCENT-H1 recovery sequenceDual-event, dual-separation recovery with all sections tethered: boost and coast to the 7,000 ft contract apogee, 42 in drogue at apogee, descent at about 63 ft/s, 120 in main at 1,500 ft, landing at about 16 ft/s with three tethered sections.7,000 FT · CONTRACT APOGEE · 2,134 M AGL1,500 FT · MAIN DEPLOYMENTGROUND · FAR SITE, MOJAVE DESERT01BOOST & COAST2.3 s burn · coast to apogee02APOGEE · DROGUET ≈ 21 s · 2,134 m AGL03DROGUE DESCENT≈ 63 ft/s · 2,134 → 457 m04MAIN · 1,500 FT457 m AGL · 120 in main05LANDING≈ 16 ft/s · 3 tethered sectionsNose cone5:1 von Kármán · GPS 1Payload bay5.5 kg canisterMain bay120 in mainSwitch band · av-bayBlue Raven + Blue JayDrogue bay42 in drogueMotor sectionM2800-BG · 3 fins · GPS 2J2J1Pad · FAR 20 ft rail42 in drogueout of the drogue bayJ1 · 4× 4-40nylon pins shearBlue Raven firesBlue Jay backup +1 s42 in drogue · Cd 1.56 m Kevlar≈ 63 ft/s19 m/snose downdeployment bag120 in mainRocketman HP · Cd 2.29 m Kevlar Ypayload + av-bay U-boltsJ2 · 4× 4-40nylon pins sheardrogue stayson its harnessBlue Raven firesBlue Jay backup 1,300 ftGPS 1GPS 2≈ 16 ft/spayload < 25 ft/sSeparation joint (J1, J2) · 4× 4-40 nylon pins½ in tubular Kevlar, 7,200 lbDescent rate at 24 kg, FAR siteAltitude and harness lengths not to scale · geometry: ASCENT-H1 rev C
    1. 01

      Boost and coast: 2.3 s hybrid burn, coast to the 2,134 m contract apogee

    2. 02

      Apogee: the primary altimeter fires and the 42 in elliptical drogue deploys

    3. 03

      Drogue descent at about 63 ft/s, all sections tethered

    4. 04

      Main at 1,500 ft: the 120 in main deploys on the 9 m Kevlar Y-harness

    5. 05

      Landing at about 16 ft/s; the payload lands under 25 ft/s and two GPS trackers guide the recovery crew