LAD-8X
LAD-8X featured an extensively lighter airframe and a fully redesigned side deploy recovery mechanism that was extensively tested in a thorough ground testing campaign. It was launched from the Mojave Desert in October 2022. It represents the most refined iteration of the MJF rocket airframe concept, and despite not resulting in a successful recovery, LAD-8X served as another example of extreme applications of additive manufacturing technologies.
0.78 Mach
TOP Speed
4.7 Inch
Rocket Diameter
8,500 Feet
TOP Altitude
7.21 Feet
Rocket Height
launch analysis
Recovery Failure
Despite the redesigned recovery mechanism, LAD-8X also suffered a premature deployment of the drogue chute. However, this time, it was due to an avionics failure. Telemetry recovered from the barometer on our deployment system showed abnormally high spike of pressures that correspond to the time at which the charge detonation signal was sent. One running theory is that differential airflow in the recovery chamber between an unsealed live video port and the nominal barometer vent holes could have been partially responsible for these readings.
