Student/industry team launches 1st liquid fueled aerospike rocket

Students of the Cal State Long Beach Aerospace Engineering Department, teamed with Garvey Spacecraft, succeeded this past Saturday in launching a rocket for the first time anywhere with a liquid fueled aerospike engine. The 1,000 lbf LOX/ethanol aerospike engine was designed and developed by CSULB students and it powered a 13ft Prospector 2 vehicle. (They flew this rocket once before with a conventional engine.) The engine performance was not perfect and the landing crushed the payloads but it was a great first step. The flight took place at the Mojave Test Area, owned and operated by the non-profit Reaction Research Society

Details, pictures, and a video at