AspireSpace
				The British Amateur Space / Rocket Programme

The AspireSpace Development Vehicle (ADV)

The ADV was designed to flight test systems for the ASPIRE II sounding rocket. The first vehicle launched, ADV-1, in September 1995, was destroyed at an altitude of approximately 50 metres due to an overpressure in the combustion chamber. The avionics was completely destroyed, with the CCD video camera being snapped in half. The motor section of the airframe was also completely destroyed. 2 other sections of the airframe were however salvaged, along with the undeployed recovery system.

The salvaged components are currently in storage, and have been proposed for use on a future launch with one of the AspireSpace indigenous motors.

ADV Payloads

Payload space on the ADV was extremely limited, due to the fact that the vehicle is designed to test flight systems, and is thus crammed with test instrumentation.

The ADV flight was designed to carry a miniature CCD video camera payload transmitting live pictures to the ground using a transmitter designed by the AspireSpace avionics team. This system, and its subsequent follow-ons, have been flight tested repeatedly by the AspireSpace team and have set a number of firsts for UK amateur rocketry (First Black and White onboard video camera and telemetry flight, First Colour onboard Video camera and telemetry flight, Highest onboard video camera flight). More details are available on the AspireSpace video camera payload.

ADV Structure

The ADV was made from 4 fibreglass (GFRP) tubes of 85 mm constant diameter and a fibreglass (GFRP) nosecone, the tubes contained the motor section, the avionics and payload section, the main recovery section and the drogue and mortar section, respectively. The motor section - avionics / payload section and avionics / payload section - main recovery section, were connected by 2 machined hollow aluminium bulkheads / couplers. The lower bulkhead acted as the thrust plate. The rocket motor was fitted to the lower section, secured by a central bolt fitted to its head via the bulkhead / thrust plate and an alignment ring at the base of the section. The four aluminium fins were attached to the lower section. The middle section was screwed to the bulkheads on either end. The upper bulkhead / coupler joined the avionics bay with the main recovery section and also acted as an anchor point for the parachute system. All components were fabricated by AspireSpace.

ADV Propulsion

The ADV rocket was propelled by a commercially available UK made small solid propellant motor.

ADV vital statistics:

• Total Impulse: 1280 Ns
• Average Thrust: 750 N
• Burn Time: 1.7 s
• Predicted Apogee: 1.6 Km, attained 18 s after lift-off
• Predicted max velocity: Mach 0.65

ADV Recovery System

ADV was ironically designed to be re-useable - it was to be recovered by a parachute once apogee was attained. The drogue parachute would be deployed by means of a sidewards ejecting mortar. A pyrotechnic charge would fire the drogue parachute fitted in the mortar, out of the tube sidewards. The rocket motor casing can also be re-loaded by the manufacturer. Future ADV launches were designed to carry a steerable parachute system allowing the vehicle to be remotely piloted back to a designated landing zone - this task will now be incorporated into future ASRV flights, since the ASRV has superceded the ADV as the standard small launcher operated by AspireSpace.

The ADV Team

ADV component parts