Project Atlas Hybrid Rocket Engine; Building a Better Space

As SpaceX and other private companies turn space into the newest business frontier, can our safety standards keep pace with the race to the stars? To explore this question, my capstone project focused on developing a hybrid‑rocket‑motor test platform that uses 3D‑printed materials for complex injector and fuel‑grain geometries. By leveraging cost‑effective manufacturing techniques, I aimed to make safer combustion methods both more accessible and affordable. In parallel, my STS research paper applied Actor‑Network Theory to the 1997 near‑collision of Progress M‑34 with the Mir space station, demonstrating how even non‑catastrophic incidents can expose systemic gaps in space‑flight regulation. Together, these two investigations underscore my commitment to advancing safety in the rapidly evolving aerospace industry. Reflecting the ethical engineer’s belief of putting safety before profit as we go farther into space.
Rocket propulsion represents a forefront of engineering innovation, where safety, reliability and efficiency must align. Hybrid motors marry simple design with inherent safety but remain limited by traditional fuel grain materials and fabrication methods. To push past these barriers, this project leverages fused deposition modeling with ABS thermoplastic to craft advanced grain geometries. The effort spans five interconnected areas—fuel grain design, oxidizer tank, combustor structure, nozzle and test stand—using computational fluid dynamics to evaluate thermal and mechanical loads, finite element analysis to verify structural integrity and Python scripts to refine nozzle shape. Instrumented static fire tests measure thrust to compare novel grains with standard ones and quantify gains in performance and cost.
As a team, we successfully built an H‑class hybrid rocket engine and its supporting ground‑testing systems. The design of the rocket motor was verified under three procedural tests: a hydrostatic test, which checked for leaks and verified the pressure rating of the manufactured design; a cold‑flow test, which evaluated the operation of the rocket motor using nonvolatile gases without ignition; and finally, a hot‑fire test as the culminating trial of the project. During testing, we successfully passed the hydrostatic and cold‑flow tests. Upon attempting the hot‑fire test, our rocket motor failed, preventing further testing during the academic year. Since then, all damaged components have been remade in hopes of a successful hot‑fire test in hopes to measure the thrust generated for different 3D printed fuel grain and injector geometries.
By framing the 1997 docking accident between Progress M-34 and the Mir space station as the product of a complex social and technical network I aim to reveal how institutional practices, onboard technologies and minimal regulatory oversight combined to undermine safety. This research shifts the focus from isolated human error to systemic vulnerabilities that could impact all future missions. To explore these dynamics I applied Actor-Network Theory treating engineers, mission controllers and crew members alongside non-human actors such as navigation systems, sensors and policy documents as equally influential nodes. I analyzed mission transcripts and technical failure reports to map how budget shortfalls, outdated systems and strict command hierarchies interacted to erode safety margins.
My analysis shows that latency and sensor inaccuracies in the manual docking interface undermined situational awareness while directive pressures from mission control amplified crew fatigue and cognitive overload. Budget constraints acted as a non-human agent embedding choices to defer crucial upgrades and intensify risks. Rather than a single failure this collision emerges as a cascade of interdependent breakdowns across the network. These findings make clear the need for a dedicated space safety agency to certify equipment, standardize training and audit missions. By weaving together technical and social factors this approach offers a roadmap for governance reforms that keep innovation aligned with safety.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Technical Advisors: Chloe Dedic, Daniel Quinn

STS Advisor: Pedro Augusto Francisco

Technical Team Members: Silas Agnew, Joshua Bird, Harrison Bobbitt, Harshit Dhayal, Sean Dunn, Thomas DeCanio, Darsh Devkar, James Dalzell, Adis Gorenca, Alexander Gorodchanin, Mannix Green, Zach Hinz, Gavin Miller, Isaac Tisinger, Aiden Winfield, Ved Thakare, Jack Spinnanger, Taka Suzuki