Terrapin Rocket Team's Technical Report to the 2023 Spaceport America Cup

Abstract

This document presents the University of Maryland’s 10,000 ft SRAD Motor Category rocket, Karkinos. It is the third time that the team will be attending the Cup in person since 2018, and the current team has built on the lessons learned at the 2022 Cup. The design process for Karkinos is centered around manufacturability and reliability coupled with a rigorous testing process. This report also documents the design of our Air Brake system that actively trims the rocket’s altitude during flight. The CubeSat payload for this rocket will test the release of a vehicle from the rocket during drogue descent.