Investigation into SoberRocket's First Flight Concludes
By Christian Temelkoski - Last Edited April 7, 2025 at 10:13 AM ET
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On April 5, 2025, the first flight of SoberRocket lifted off. Shortly after liftoff, a large but gradual pitchover was observed as the rocket tilted to a maximum angle of 15 degrees below the horizon. Despite this, SoberRocket made it to staging and Exela lit their first ever second stage. Due to the exteme pitchover and risk to public safety as a result, a detailed investigation into the various issues of the flight has been ongoing for the past two days. Given the simplicity of the rocket, this investigation has concluded quickly and construction of the next SoberRocket has begun.
Exela will follow 4 primary corrective actions in order to ensure safety and increase the chances of a fully successful second flight of SoberRocket. The corrective actions are listed below.
During printing of the first stage, warping was observed on one of the four fins due to inadequate thickness and air currents. The thickness of the fins was increased to eliminate this. This is what is believed to have caused the pitchover.
2. During installation of the second stage's engine mount, the glue that was used to install it dripped down into the tube coupler, sticking a portion of it to the second stage. This portion broke off during final integration preparations. This made flight more risky and the mount design was changed to mitigate this.
3. The tube coupler between the first and second stage was not wide enough, leading to the second stage rocking on the first stage. This issue was reduced with tape before flight, but for the next flight, the tube coupler itself will feature updated dimensions.
4. The launch lug was not printed with the first stage, a large oversight. This made getting a launch lug properly installed very difficult. The second SoberRocket fixes this issue by having a launch lug printed with the first stage.
Other minor issues were observed, but these were mostly related to operations. Other than the issues listed above, the first SoberRocket was a great rocket and we are excited to fly once again soon!
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