Level-1 High Power Rocket

Siemens NX 3D Printing OpenRocket Testing

This started as a Purdue Space Program challenge and a personal crash course in rocketry. Over a semester, I learned the components from the ground up, asked questions to mentors, and built an L1 rocket that uses an H219 motor. The biggest curve for me was manufacturing and fit-up. Because the airframe was a donated mailing tube instead of a standard rocket tube, I had to design and 3D print my own interfaces and iterate until everything fit and assembled cleanly.

Role

Designer and builder

Goal

Build an L1-ready rocket and learn rocketry fast enough to support my team

Design Approach

I treated this as a learning project and an engineering build at the same time. I started by learning how each subsystem works (airframe, fins, recovery, motor selection) so I could make decisions I understood. The nonstandard mailing tube airframe forced custom interfaces, so I used NX to define geometry and then iterated physical fits until assembly felt consistent and repeatable.

Constraints & early decisions

Nonstandard tube size: I designed around what I measured, not what a catalog listed.
Tool limits at school: I worked with what I had on campus and used the makerspace for what I could not do in my room.
Learn first, then optimize: I prioritized a build I could finish and understand before chasing minimum weight.

Figure 1 — NX CAD assembly used to define custom-fit interfaces for a nonstandard airframe — **Figure 1 — CAD assembly.** NX model used to define custom-fit interfaces for a nonstandard airframe. (Click image to expand.)

Motor Selection (OpenRocket)

Figure 2 — OpenRocket height vs time plot for the selected H219 motor — **Figure 2 — Height vs time (H219).** Used as my main comparison output while selecting a motor. (Click image to expand.)

Once the geometry was stable, I used OpenRocket to compare motor options and sanity check the flight profile. I picked an H219 because the height versus time behavior looked predictable and matched what I wanted for an L1 attempt. This step also forced me to learn the basics of stability, recovery planning, and what the simulation is actually sensitive to.

Manufacturing & Craftsmanship

Most of my background was 3D printing, so this build pushed me into more hands-on fabrication. The fins were a good example. I used thicker balsa than I should have, could not cleanly score it with an X-Acto, and ended up making templates and cutting them on a bandsaw at the makerspace. From there it was a lot of hand sanding, alignment work, and learning how to get strong epoxy bonds that do not feel sketchy.

i Tap any photo to expand

Results

Completed an L1 rocket build over a semester as a focused rocketry crash course for team involvement.
Designed and printed custom interfaces to make a donated mailing tube airframe work as a rocket structure.
Used OpenRocket to select an H219 and validate expected flight behavior before committing to the motor.
Learned practical fabrication habits: fin cutting and sanding, alignment, bonding quality, and surface prep for paint.

Figure 3 — Completed Level-1 rocket in its final assembled configuration — **Figure 3 — Final build.** Completed Level-1 rocket in its final assembled configuration. (Click image to expand.)

What I’d Change Next Time

Plan manufacturability earlier, especially around tools and processes available during the semester.
Revisit material and geometry choices now that I better understand where strength was actually needed.
Integrate instrumentation earlier in the build so data collection and validation are part of the process from the start.
Apply what I learned here to a higher-power build, where mass, stiffness, and recovery loads become more meaningful trade-offs.

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