This was my first cluster rocket - the two-motor Magnum Sport Loader by Quest Aerospace. It's what is known as an egg lofter, meaning it carries a payload of a raw egg - actually, two raw eggs.
This is a common model rocketry challenge - you launch an egg, because it's fragile, and you try to get it back in one piece.
Clustering is also a challenge, because you must make sure both motors are wired correctly, with the igniter touching the propellant. If one motor fires and the other misfires, the rocket can fly off to the side. Also, the igniters must be wired in parallel, and your launch controller must deliver enough amperage to fire more than a single igniter - something a basic Estes Electron Beam launch controller will not do.
I built my own launch controller and hooked it up to an external 12 volt motorcycle battery. This was my first cluster launch ever, and I was nervous about getting it right.
I also only launched one egg this time, because I had padded the payload bay to the point where I could not fit two.
Let's see how I did...
To learn more about model rocketry, check out The Handbook of Model Rocketry by G. Harry Stine and Bill Stine: https://amzn.to/35XRbCY (affiliate link)
Another great book to check out about designing and building your own model rockets is Make: Rockets: Down-To-Earth Rocket Science by Mike Westerfield: https://amzn.to/3JkOB7z (affiliate link)
