Students give up search for supersonic rocket

A group of rocketry students have given up their search for a small supersonic rocket after losing it following a record attempt in Banks Peninsula early last week.

The team from the University of Canterbury launched the rocket from Kaitorete Spit last Sunday to try to break the New Zealand altitude record for the specific class of motor the rocket uses. The record stands at 1117 metres.

Prior to the launch, the 41mm-diameter, 541mm-long rocket was expected to reach an altitude of 2.6km with a maximum speed of 1425 km/h.

Twenty-three-year-old George Buchanan, who project-led the launch along with fellow final year rocketry student David Wright, said it was unlikely they would find the rocket after its transmitter failed.

"We put out the call for the farmers to [let us know] if they come across it, but it's unlikely that we'll be doing any more searching.''

The budding rocket engineers spent six hours last Monday searching for the rocket with a group of volunteers through an area roughly 350 metres by 350 metres.

Mr Buchanan was confident they broke the NZ altitude record, however they couldn't confirm that until they recovered the rocket and analysed the on-board data.

He said the rocket was not overly expensive and was "easily replaceable''.

"Much more time and effort was put into it than money.''

The rocket was owned by the University of Canterbury rocketry group and had survived a handful of other flights before it was lost.

The team were looking at attempting the world altitude record for the class of motor the rocket used "now that we think we at least have the capability of getting the New Zealand one''.

"We're confident that the rocket went higher than the New Zealand altitude record, but we can't officially say that.''