Project Descriptions
Current Project: Spectre
Hybrids’ current project is Spectre, an O-class HTPB and nitrous oxide blow-down hybrid rocket planned to be flown to 25,000 feet at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry Launch site and to 10,000 feet at the Purdue Dairy Farm. Spectre hosts a variety of firsts for PSP Hybrids, such as an 8” oxidizer tank and 6” combustion chamber, student-researched-and-designed flight computers, a unique cavitating-venturi-style injector, and the capability to fly research payloads for Purdue AAE faculty.
Nostromo
Nostromo, launched in April 2024, was the first student-designed hybrid rocket to be launched at Purdue since 2009. This rocket used nitrous oxide as its oxidizer and HTPB as its fuel. It had an apogee of 16,000 ft. The engine’s low takeoff thrust led to issues with the vehicle’s stability off the launch rail, leading to the vehicle weathercocking and experiencing a recovery failure. Hybrids is using the lessons learned from Nostromo to develop a high-thrust, high-impulse vehicle, Spectre.
HAVOC
HAVOC was PSP Hybrids’ maiden project, a demonstrator engine using paraffin wax and nitrous oxide, with the objective to prove that Purdue students can design, build, and test a hybrid rocket engine and verify that engine for a flight vehicle. HAVOC completed both a partial-duration and full-duration hotfire in May 2022. The lessons and hardware developed in the HAVOC program were critical to Hybrids’ future projects.
