Leads
Year | Lead |
|---|---|
| Spring 2017 | Josef B |
Overview
A fly-away rail guide separates after launch to reduce drag. Before launch they are strong enough to support the weight of the entire vehicle.
History
The fly-away rail guide was originally created to support Project Virgo. This technology first flew on Virgo's first Flight Test. The rail guide experienced an anomaly where it failed to separate cleanly due to binding on itself. It separated at apogee.