We are the High Altitude Liquid Engine (HALE) team, developers of the first collegiate liquid rocket engine in the state of Oregon. As a part of the Base 11 Space Challenge, HALE’s ultimate goal is to reach the Karman line (100km ASL) with a single stage liquid bi-propellant engine.

STATIC FIRE 3 - FAILURE ANALYSIS TEST

The Competition

HALE is currently one of the six finalists in the Base 11 Space Challenge. Base 11 sponsors a highly advanced, multiyear collegiate rocket building competition. The competition goal is to put a single stage liquid bi-propellant rocket in space by the end of 2021. The grand prize for being the first college to do so is $1 million.

The Engines

All of HALE’s engines are completely designed, developed and manufactured on-campus from start to finish. Our engines are named after stars in the night sky of increasing temperature.

Mira 1 - We are initially learning the finer details of handling liquid rocket engines through our first engine, Mira 1. This design is a pressure fed, kerosene and liquid oxygen with a pintle injector and ablative cooling. We are keeping this design simple and small at 2,000 lbf thrust, and will allow the design to become more aggressive as we gain experience.

Mira 2 - Our second design will progress on all lessons learned from Mira 1, as well as incorporate new technology. With the same design thrust of 2,000 lbf, Mira 2 focuses on ease of manufacturing and assembly, as well as thermal longevity in a flight weight design.

What You Can Do

HALE is unique in that it is a multiyear project, and continuously develops and evolves over the years. We are always manufacturing and testing! Many of the rocket’s components are developed by "Senior Capstone Teams", however students (even non-students) of all levels of experience are welcome to help on any stage of the research and build. If a member wants to help, regardless of class year or experience level, we will always have a task for them to work on in the lab. Seasoned members will also teach underclassmen new design and manufacturing skills.

Current areas of focus include: