Project Ascendant - 2 Stage Rocket to Space

My name is Trey Penman, and I am currently a sophomore at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). I am also the additive engineering Lead for RPI’s Rocket Team known as Rensselaer Rocket Society: Ascendant Research Group (RRS-Ascendants, or just Ascendants.)

We are the Ascendant Research Group, A rocketry group based out of Rensselaer polytechnic institute in Troy, NY. Our mission is to be the first team to launch a 2 stage rocket to space and successfully recover. So far, only one team in USC has been able to send a single stage rocket, which we believe to be an expensive and brute-force approach. Using tactics used in the sounding rocket industry, our two-stage design consumes much less propellant and weighs (and costs) an order of magnitude less than its single stage counterparts—thanks to the physics of multistage rockets! 

Such a design, if done successfully, can demonstrate that reaching space doesn’t need to cost as much as a house. By being the first team to demonstrate this capability, we can inspire the future generation of aerospace engineers who seek to do the same thing and/or strive to do greater.

So far, we’ve done immense testing on the propulsion systems used to power our rockets; having done 15+ static fires on our flight-ready motors which we’ve most recently flown at the Spaceport America Cup and won 2nd place in our respective category! We flew to an altitude of 30,569 ft and had a top speed of Mach 1.8!

If you would like to see more of our work, we post frequently on our Instagram page @ascendantspace. Or if you would like to hear more about our project we would be more than willing to call or video chat.

We were wondering if you would consider supporting our group in the form of providing a machining sponsorship. For our 2nd stage rocket we require metal fins to withstand the high temps from going hypersonic. To do this we plan on having our fins, machined out of aluminum and would love to use PCBway to do that! We could greatly use your help making this launch happen. In demonstration of our gratitude, we would offer you promotion through our social media pages and placement on our rockets and team apparel. 

Thank you so much for your help in advance. I look forward to hearing from you soon in furthering this opportunity!