Nike team aiming high

Team Nike members Kim and Kelvin McVinnie (left), Chris North (standing right) and Ethan Kosoof plan to launch New Zealand's largest amateur built rocket this Sunday, and be the first to launch from a purpose built launch vehicle - albeit a 1996 Ford Courier ute. Photo / Dean Taylor

About this time in 2020, I had the pleasure of meeting what might be described as a slightly odd bunch of six friends who had put together New Zealand’s biggest amateur rocket in a shed in Te Pahu - Nike, named after the Greek goddess of speed, strength and victory.

A few days after publishing a story about the project, my wife Robyn and I were standing in a paddock near Huntly watching the rocket’s inaugural launch. It was the culmination of a big day of rocketeering at the New Zealand Rocketry Association’s aptly named three-day Havoc in the Paddock.

So it was a welcome call that came recently when I was asked if I wanted to see how the project had grown and developed since 2020.

The rocket replicates Nasa’s creation Nike Smoke from the 1960s and is the work of Ethan Kosoof of Huntly, who is the project manager, Dr Martin van Tiel and his wife Debbie of Taupiri, Chris North from Onewhero and Kelvin and Kim McVinnie from Te Pahu. All are members of the New Zealand Rocketry Association.

So, when you already have flown the largest amateur rocket in the country, what next?

For this group, the answer was simple - more power.

A plan was concocted over a couple of beers in the shed and an engine with twice as much power was installed. Unfortunately, the second flight was a bit of a fizzer.

Undaunted, the team came up with a better plan to double the power again and make some modifications.

Nike was extended to 7.5 metres, one metre longer than the first rocket, and the new engine meant it now had four times the original power.

But they asked themselves - was that enough? What else would be cool and had never been done?

With the flight deadline approaching, they came up with a plan to build their own launch vehicle which they could drive to the next launch event and straight into the paddock.

Nike rocket raised into launch position. Photo / Dean Taylor

The outcome is a converted 1996 Ford Courier ute rocket launcher - and it will be on the road this weekend, so do not be alarmed.

Weather permitting, the New Zealand Rocketry Association’s National Launch Day will take place on Sunday, March 5 from about noon, with Nike’s launch as the feature event.

Kelvin is looking forward to the excitement, but says there is always a bit of trepidation.

There is something very cool about building a rocket and seeing it fly, he says.

“Building our own launch vehicle is next-level.”

The rocket will only be using about half its available power for this launch, but Kelvin says one day they will want to fuel her to the max and see how she performs.

Nike: Goddess of Victory. Photo / Dean Taylor

“If we ever do that, it will be the largest amateur rocket in the world to be launched.”

He adds that if anyone has $100,000 spare and wants to sponsor that launch, they should get in touch.

“We’ll even let them push the ignition button.”

As it is, if successful, Sunday’s launch will be among the top 10 largest amateur rockets worldwide and the largest in the world to be launched from a vehicle.

Kelvin and Kim have been working on Nike nearly every morning, before going to the proper jobs in their Te Pahu shed.

Team members have specific skills.

Martin is the project’s propellant engineer. Debbie says she married Martin, who has always been rocket-mad, so she had no choice but to be involved in the hobby and helps where she can.

Chris and Kelvin are involved in fabrication and engineering and Ethan oversees the project.

Kim, New Zealand’s only female rocket pilot qualified to level three, is in charge of recovery.

Even though Nike won’t be under full power, she will be travelling at over 120km/h by the time she clears the launch vehicle, will break the sound barrier by 450m - hopefully making a decent sonic boom - and reach a top speed of Mach 1.4.

The rocket deploys parachutes for recovery, and this year, state-of-the-art bespoke chutes have been made and sponsored by Valkyrie Recovery Systems - the US-based company that makes chutes for Rocket Lab and other international space clients.

Kelvin says it’s pretty cool when the international space community comes together to help each other.

The team is excited about the launch vehicle and will be driving it on the road with the support of a pilot vehicle.

The rocket sits in a cradle which is lifted into the launch position by hydraulics.

Arms extend from each corner and lift the ute off its own suspension, which wouldn’t be able to handle the force, and also are used to level the vehicle.

A guide track has been added, with fairly simple plastic runners which keep Nike pointing in the right direction until the effect of the fins takes over.

The entire launch structure is strapped to the ground for extra stability.

The team isn’t sure what condition the ute will be in after the launch - but is expecting it will be at least covered in soot, if not worse.

“Nike takes off so fast, the flames will only hit the ute for a fraction of a second,” says Chris.

Nike maiden flight in 2020. Photo / Dean Taylor

Sheets of marine ply will be used to deflect those flames off the back of the ute, and will also be on the ground to deflect the thrust effect.

“But the launch will be violent and spectacular,” he adds.

To find out more about joining in the excitement, go to: https://www.nzrocketry.org.nz/events/national-launch-day.