2019 Safety Requirements

COBRUF Aerospace Competitions

5. CobrufROCKETS 2019 Safety Requirements

Systems

Ignition
1. The ignition system must have redundant mechanisms to prevent accidental ignition.
2. The ignition system must permit the installation of an electric switch in series with its line of fire, capable of
short-circuiting the line and abort the ignition.
3. Motors with pre-built igniters are prohibited.

Rocket Motor
1. Solid-Propellant Rocket Motors are allowed.
2. Hybrid-Propellant Rocket Motors are allowed.
3. Liquid-Propellant Rocket Motors are allowed.
4. Propulsion systems based on clustered motors are not allowed.

Propellant
1. The solid propellant must, after contact with water, lose its explosive characteristics and burning capacity.
2. The use of propellants of high toxicity to humans, either by the toxicity in their handling or by the toxicity in its
combustion product, is prohibited.
3. Hybrid-Propellant Rocket Motors and Liquid-Propellant Rocket Motors must use liquid and/or gaseous reactants
from commercial suppliers with appropriate quality certification.
4. Propellants must be provided by the team itself.
5. Transportation of propellants must be provided by the team itself, in an adequate and safe manner. The
organization of the event is free of any related responsibility.

Stability
1. The vehicle must be stable throughout its trajectory, for all launch elevations available in the System
Requirements.
1.1. If the design does not meet this requirement for all competition elevations, the team must consider only the
most conservative elevations.
2. The vehicle must not be unstable or super-stable.
3. Stability must be calculated considering the chosen experiment.
4. The vehicle must be capable of achieving self-stabilizing speed while still connected to the launch rail, taking
into account the surface winds defined in the System Requirements.

Recovery
1. All sections of the rocket must have an impact on the ocean.
2. Rockets can have recovery systems, such as a parachute, provided there is no possibility of returning to the inland
by force of the wind.
3. If adequate experimental validation of the recovery system in flight configuration is not demonstrated, the vehicle
must be launched in ballistic configuration, with its recovery system installed but deactivated.

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4. Attempts to rescue the vehicle in the ocean will be carried out exclusively by the COBRUF Association, third
parties hired by COBRUF Association or by competent partner authorities.

Experiment
1. The experiment must not be flammable or explosive.
2. The experiment cannot compromise the telemetry of the vehicle.
3. The experiment cannot compromise aerodynamics or vehicle stability.
4. The experiment must remain connected to the vehicle during the entire operation.
5. After informing the presence of an experiment in the CDR, the team cannot replace it with equivalent ballast mass
for mission operations.
6. Once integrated into the rocket and approved in FRR, the experiment can no longer be uninstalled.

Launch Pad
1. Launch pad must have rail of sufficient length for acquisition of self-stabilization speed by the rocket.
2. Launch pad rail elevation variation must be less than or equal to 1 degree during vehicle launch.
3. Launch pad rail azimuth variation must be less than or equal to 1 degree during vehicle launch.

Colors
1. Parachutes must be orange in order to maximize visual identification from the surface.
2. Rockets must have orange components that maximize visual identification from the surface.

Risk Assessment for Mission Operations

Structural Failure Risk

1. The team must calculate structural stresses that the vehicle will suffer during the moment of maximum thrust, as
well as the limits, safety factors and probability of failure and break of the project.
2. The team must calculate structural stresses that the vehicle will undergo during the moment of maximum dynamic
pressure, as well as limits, safety factors and probability of failure and break of the project.
3. The team must present an analysis of risks, impacts and prevention methods in case of:
3.1. Rupture of structures in the envelope of the rocket motor;
3.2. Ruptures in the fuselage;
3.3. Ruptures in the fins/cannards;
3.4. Ruptures in the parachute anchorage;
3.5. Flutter effect on fins/cannards, explaining flutter occurrence speed and critical frequency.

Propulsion Risk Assessment

1. The team must present a checklist for propellant preparation.
2. For propulsion validation, team must present a sufficient number of safe, successful static tests with similar
performance of the propulsion system in flight configuration.
2.1. For launchings with target apogee of 2000 m, 2 static tests are required.
2.2. For launchings with target apogee of 3000 m, 2 static tests are required.
2.3. For launchings with target apogee of 5000 m, 2 static tests are required.

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3. For validation of the propulsion system, static tests must be performed with materials, manufactures, engines,
propellants and ignition systems identical to those to be used at launch.
4. For validation of the propulsion system, flight tests will also be accepted provided that materials, manufactures,
engines, propellants and ignition systems are identical to those to be used at launch.
5. For all pyrotechnic tests, a detailed chronology of the test must be created and strictly followed. The chronology
must specify the order of each action and the conditions for interrupting or canceling the test.
6. All pyrotechnic tests on confined propellants, such as static fire tests, must be executed in open spaces with a
safety perimeter defined by dispersion analysis of debris in the event of an explosion at 0 m altitude, such that:
6.1. The minimum perimeter must not be less than 50 meters in radius.
6.2. The minimum perimeter must encompass distance to any person, animal, building, vehicle and power grid.
7. All pyrotechnic testing of unconfined propellants must be done in an open space or in an appropriate laboratorial
structure.
8. In all pyrotechnic tests, measures against accidental ignition - such as grounding components that can accumulate
static electricity and keeping sources of energy from ignitors physically disconnected until a few moments before
ignition - must be adopted.

Explosion Debry Dispersion Risk

1. Teams must present the dispersion of debris in the event of a vehicle explosion at the following altitudes:
1.1. 0 m;
1.2. 50% of the propelled altitude;
2. Teams can be based on Brode (1959) to calculate the explosion dispersion.

BRODE, H.L. (1959). BLAST WAVE FROM A SPHERICAL CHARGE. Phys. Fluids 2,
217. DOI:10.1063/1.1705911)

Trajectory Calculations
1. All vehicle trajectory calculations must consider 6 degrees of freedom (6DOF).
2. All vehicle trajectory calculations must consider section disengagement, where applicable.
3. The team must present the assumptions and data used for mission simulations and projections.
4. The organization may require further data from the teams' projects to perform their own trajectory analysis for
redundancy and review.

Trajectory Wind Sensibility

1. The team must present a table with longitudinal distances of the trajectory for headwind gusts of 1 m/s at different
intervals of altitudes.
2. The team must present a table with lateral distances of the trajectory for crosswind gusts of 1 m/s at different
intervals of altitudes.
3. For these calculations, ballistic flight must be considered.
4. For these calculations, teams must consider intervals of 5 meters of altitude with wind gust and the rest of the
trajectory without wind.

Trajectory Elevation Sensibility

1. The team must calculate the influence of 1º variation of the launch elevation in the longitudinal distance of the
trajectory.
2. The team must calculate the variation influence of 1º on the launch azimuth on the lateral distance of the trajectory.

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3. For these calculations, ballistic flight must be considered.

Trajectory Impact Dispersion

1. For launch, the team must present the dispersion of impact with the surface for the following scenarios:
1.1. Nominal trajectory
1.2. Trajectory in case of sub-propulsion (10% of nominal thrust).
1.3. Trajectory in case of super-propulsion (200% of the nominal thrust).
1.4. Trajectory in case of loss of stability under 10m altitude.
1.5. Trajectory in case of loss of stability under maximum dynamic pressure altitude.
2. It is necessary to calculate dispersion 3 σ and 1 σ for lateral deviation and longitudinal deviation.
3. The team must present equation and values used in the calculations.
4. Teams can be based on Gomes & Louis (2005), Garcia (2007) and FAA (2014) for dispersion and impact points
calculations (references below).

GOMES, R. M., LOUIS. J. E., 2005. ON CALCULATING IMPACT PROBABILITY AND

CASUALTY EXPECTATION AND VISUALIZING SHIP POSITION. 2005 International
Association for the Advancement of Space Safety. IAE/DCTA.

GARCIA, A. 2007. AUTOMATIZAÇÃO APLICADA A LANÇADORES DE FOGUETES DE

SONDAGEM PARA COMPENSAÇÃO DA INFLUÊNCIA DOS VENTOS. Ph.D. Thesis.
Universidade Estadual Paulista.

FAA. 2014. SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION GUIDANCE FOR UNGUIDED

SUBORBITAL LAUNCH VEHICLES. Available at https://bit.ly/2FJBvBV.

Propellant Risk
For the case of Hybrid-Propellant Rocket Motor and Liquid-Propellant Rocket Motor:
1. The team must present calculations proving that there will be no accidental ignition by hydraulic shock (water
hammer effect) during fueling.
2. The team must present analysis of the theoretical and/or experimental thrust curve, considering the pressure of
the external supply tanks if they are continuously submitted to ambient temperatures of 30ºC and 50ºC.
3. The team must provide calculations to demonstrate that the safety of the operation will not be compromised if the
components of its propulsion system and its supply system are exposed to the sun at the temperature required in
the System Requirements for 4 uninterrupted hours.
3.1. Careful attention should be paid to the influence of this exposure on engine performance and hence on the
radius of the vehicle's impact points and on the spreading of debris in the event of an explosion.

Team Mission Abort Scenarios

1. The team must present all scenarios of mission interruption and mission abortion.
2. The team must present which possible system failures generate unacceptable risks to mission safety and which
generate acceptable risks.

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Mission Operations

On-Site System Preparations

1. The team must present a pre-flight checklist for propellant preparation and on-site closing of the motor.
2. The team must present a pre-flight checklist for on-site preparation of the launch pad system.
3. The team must present a pre-flight checklist for on-site integration of the rocket system.
4. The handling of propellants and any other pyrotechnic components at the location of the event must occur
exclusively at locations and times designated by the event organization.
5. During presential activities, it is prohibited to fuel motors outside the event location.
6. Propellants must be fuel to the motor only at times and locations designated by the organization.
7. Each team will have access to a minimum (continuous or non-continuous) hours on pyrotechnic laboratory to fuel
motors with solid propellants and close it.
8. Pyrotechnics laboratories will be to available to up to 2 rockets per access and up to 2 persons per rocket.
9. All igniters must only be installed in the final stages of the launch chronology.

Fueling of Solid-Propellant Rocket Motors

1. It is prohibited to confine solid propellant outside the event location laboratories.
2. Team must present a video of an unrestricted burn of a sample of the solid propellant used in the most recent
successful static fire.
3. The unrestricted burn may be recreated, following the same procedure as in the video, using a sample of flight
solid propellant.
4. The characteristics of the on-site static fire must indicate that the performance of the motor will not compromise
the safety of the vehicle's trajectory.
5. Solid propellant must be able to remain fueled for at least 72 hours without loss of performance.

Fueling of Hybrid-Propellant Rocket Motors and Liquid-Propellant Rocket Motors

1. Prior fueling tests must be submitted, under operational conditions, in a timely manner.
2. External tanks must be at least 2 meters away from the rocket.
3. External tanks must be provided with bulkhead and/or overlay protection to protect them from the effects of the
sun and from any combustion gases.
4. There must be an automatic mechanism that allows fueling safe interruption by distance.
5. There must be an automatic mechanism that allows liquid/gas reactants safe vent by distance.
6. It must be possible to carry out all necessary disengages and disconnections, automatically, with a manual
redundant option, within a maximum of 5 minutes.
7. Liquid/gas reactants must be able to remain fueled for at least 30 minutes of launch chronology without any
replenishment and no considerable loss of performance.

Launch
1. The launch order must be defined according to the vehicles’ sensitivity to the surface wind and the peak surface
wind time, such that the rockets most vulnerable to the wind must launch in times of lower surface wind windows.
2. Launch windows are subject to appropriate weather conditions.
3. Launches must follow the COBRUF Standard Chronology, a chronology model for professional launch developed
by the COBRUF Association.

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4. Teams must perform at least one Simulated Chronology on-site with the rockets fully integrated, with no
propellant and loaded with its payload.
5. Surface winds or bursts above 11 m/s will constitute an automatic launch interruption.
6. Elevation and azimuth angles must be defined to ensure a risk less than or equal to that required by the space
launch center.
7. The organization may restrict the authorized options for azimuth and elevation angles.

Misfire
1. If the rocket ignition is triggered and there is no indication of burning, there will be a 20 minutes pause before
approaching or handling the rocket. If the status continues, the team may attempt a single additional ignition
attempt with a new ignitor if there is adequate time to do so. If this second attempt fails, it will be considered an
automatic mission abortion.
2. If the rocket ignition is triggered and there is an indication of partial firing without launching, it will be considered
an automatic launch abortion. In this case, there will be a 20 minutes pause, with attention to possible delayed
launch, before approaching or handling the rocket.

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