On Feb 5th, SEB went back to F.A.R. to test our liquid engine LIGHTBULB for the 5th time. This marks the 3rd successful outing for our engine test campaign and 8th successful burn.

The Avionics team made significant improvements to the our cart system for Hotfire 5. Between the last hotfire and this one, the firmware which runs the system was completely overhauled. The new firmware is more modular and provides tighter timing control for reading sensors and running automation. Its improved readability makes onboarding new avionics members a much smoother process since it's easier for them to learn to use.

After Hotfire 4, we decided to rewire most of the system to improve its reliability during transportation and setup. This process allowed us to remove old wires which weren’t being used anymore, simplifying the system even further. 

Finally, we added a capacitive fill sensor to both our Fuel and LOX tanks. This new sensor was developed completely in-house and is at least 2x cheaper to manufacture than an equivalent off-the-shelf device. It has revolutionized both our procedures for propellant fill and engine performance simulations.

LIGHTBULB successfully completed “full duration” burns this time: this means it was fired for the duration we expect it to fire during launch. Our first and third burns were successful, providing 2.7kN of thrust for 14s and 2.4kN of thrust for 13s, respectively.  However, on our second burn, we noticed atypical flow rates of propellants through our engine, leading to a flameout. We are currently investigating the cause of this.

Your support allowed us to continue our journey to the stars with this continuation of our testing campaign. Thanks to you we were able to afford the propellants and the transportation costs for the engine test! 

Stay tuned for news on our LAD-V launch and the next test of LIGHTBULB in a couple of weeks.

To blue skies and bright stars!

Space Enterprise at Berkeley Team