LARS Is an Affordable and Reusable Low-Altitude Water Rocket Design

This rocket design is made up of several sections, fabricated from recycled water bottles.

Cameron Coward
4 years ago3D Printing

Launching model rockets is a fantastic hobby, and many of us have fond memories of carefully building rockets that could actually take flight. Those rockets can range in size from about six inches all the way up to several feet tall. Most are propelled by single-use engines that contain solid fuel. They’re ignited remotely and can provide enough thrust to launch a rocket thousands of feet into the air. But there are also alternative propulsion methods. mighty_sparrow has shared a tutorial on how to create an affordable and reusable water rocket design.

The LARS (Launch and Recovery System) model rocket design isn’t propelled by combustible fuel like a typical solid engine rocket or a hydrogen rocket. It also doesn’t work like steam rockets, which require that the water be heated to very high levels. This design works using just water and compressed air. The compressed air provides enough pressure to force the water out of the rocket nozzle at speeds sufficient for reactionary propulsion. This is likely the safest type of self-propelled rocket, and is ideal in dry areas where there is a high risk of wildfires. It’s also probably the most affordable rocket you can make.

That affordability is thanks to the almost exclusive use of recycled and 3D-printed parts. For example, the fuselage is constructed mainly from water bottles. The recovery system parachute is made from a broken umbrella. There are a few parts you’ll need to purchase, such as the hoses and adapters for the compressed air, but those have been kept to the absolute minimum. After a launch, you should be able to recover the rocket and reuse it as much as you like. If you’re looking for an alternative to standard combustion rockets, LARS is definitely a project that seems worth tackling.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist.
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