Griffon is a high-power rocket designed to launch to 10,000ft, while carrying a 1kg, 1U CubeSat as a payload, as a demonstrator and potential contender for the cancelled 2022/2023 Australian University Rocket Competition. This was the first high-power rocket designed, manufactured, and launched during my time as Technical Director at UNSW Rocketry.
During the launch, the rocket successfully lifted off from the pad, and was under stable flight for a few seconds, however shortly after, the rocket began to aggressively pitch over, resulting in the airframe “shredding”. A post flight investigation concluded that the cause of the failure was the boulbous nose cone goemetry, which generated large vorticies at higher velocities, which resulted in the fins losing control authority, which then caused a failure in the coupling tubes of the airframe. Most of the airframe and interals were located and recovered shortly after the launch, however, the lower airframe was lost until one year later, where it was located, and recovered with significant damage.