Bloodhound team successfully completes rocket testing

At 12ft long, 18in in diameter and 450kg in weight, the Bloodhound rocket is the largest of its kind ever designed in Europe and the biggest to be fired in the UK for some 20 years. The experiment was conducted inside a hardened air shelter with data and video streamed live to an adjacent building where the engineers, guests and media watched it live on a big screen. During the test, the rocket burned for 10 seconds, generating 14,000lbs of thrust. Sound levels at the rocket nozzle were said to reach 185dB, many times that of a Boeing 747 at take off. Initial results show that a peak thrust of 14,000lbs was achieved with the Cosworth F1 engine at a lower throttle position, delivering 820psi, 20 more than the engineers were expecting. During the test, the engine revved to 17,500rpm in order to fire HTP into the rocket at a pressure of 600lbs per square inch, equivalent to holding a large family car on the palm of your hand, and with enough flow to fill a bath in five seconds. The team also used the event to practise the safety protocols and rocket handling procedures they will use in 12 month's time, when Bloodhound begins its supersonic campaign at Hakskeen Pan, South Africa. The Bloodhound engineers are now reviewing the data from the experiment to further develop the system. For an in-depth report on the testing, be sure to check the next issue of Eureka.