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.
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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.
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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:
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Thyssenkrupp
Skyrora
Ultimate Customs
Aspire Space
Stratonauts
MSC Software
SpacePort One
DS Graphics
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HEIGHT 2.77m / 9'1"
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DIAMETER 137.5mm
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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.​​
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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.
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Saltire-2's airframe is capable of being reflown with the nosecone having been replaced, and the fins fully repaired.
