SALTIRE-2
ABOVE AND BEYOND
Saltire-2 was a huge step forward for GU Rocketry. With a custom airframe composed of fiberglass and carbon composites, Saltire-2 pushed the boundaries of what our technical teams are capable of, and laid the groundwork for our future projects.
This rocket was our second overall, and the first to be fully custom-designed. Saltire-2 was our first rocket to be integrated with our avionics suite, Astra, which has been the backbone of our rockets ever since.
Utilising a Cesaroni M975 'Moonburner' solid rocket motor, Saltire-2 surpassed its target altitude of 15,000 feet, reaching speeds of Mach 1.2.
Saltire-2 could not have been developed without our partners, to which we are grateful. They include:
Thyssenkrupp
Skyrora
Ultimate Customs
Aspire Space
Stratonauts
MSC Software
SpacePort One
DS Graphics
HEIGHT 2.77m / 9'1"
DIAMETER 137.5mm
MAX. SPEED Mach 1.2
MAX. ALTITUDE 15,569 ft
THE LAUNCH
27TH AUGUST 2022
Saltire-2 was successfully launched on August 27th, 2022, from the Fairlie Moor launch site. After leaving the launch rail, the rocket accelerated to Mach 1.2, ultimately reaching a peak altitude of 15,569 feet.
Not everything went exactly to plan, however, as the parachute didn't deploy as expected. Despite landing a little harder than planned, Saltire-2 was fully recovered and refurbished, and is now displayed in the ground floor of the James Watt South building at Glasgow University.
Saltire-2's airframe is capable of being reflown with the nosecone having been replaced, and the fins fully repaired.
