[AR] Re: Spin stabilized rocket

  • From: Henry Spencer <hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: Arocket List <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2018 19:49:24 -0500 (EST)

On Sun, 23 Dec 2018, David Summers wrote:

A quick question for those of you in the know: what is the best performance that you can expect from a spin stabilized rocket. Is it conceivable to make it beyond 100 km altitude? Just trying to see what would be possible to achieve with an unguided rocket.

The second flight of Japan's SS-520 two-stage sounding rocket reached 1040km on aero and spin stabilization only. (The SS-520 has an *optional* three-axis attitude-control package, which is needed for the three-stage orbital version, but I don't believe it was used on that flight.)

Henry

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