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Xodiac Testing

Between Sept - Nov 2021, I was a member of the testing team for Xodiac, Masten (now Astrobotic)‘s testbed VTVL rocket.

At Masten, I was also on the propulsion team for the XL-1 lunar lander.

I was on the Xodiac test team for 6 total flights: 4 tethered to a forklift and 2 free. I performed various checkouts: valve operation (pictured above), torque stripes, leak, and electrical. I also armed the flight termination system and assisted with propellant and pressurant fill (including cryogenic), vehicle transportation, and test equipment preparation. Xodiac has 100+ completed launches and landings.

Xodiac’s test team was small, ranging between 5 and 10 people, so I was an important part of the team and relied on, as I relied on my coworkers.

This experience (and helping with various small-engine static fire tests) taught me a massive amount about test engineering and operating under tense, time-sensitive conditions, where a mistake could have cascading consequences. Thankfully, every test I was part of was a full success, but there were a lot of problems the team had to solve to get them all to that point.

For the flights I was involved in, Xodiac’s payload was ExoCam, which is a camera in a impact-resistant frame that can be ejected from landers close to the surface of a celestial body and record video of the landing. Its testing on Xodiac was aimed at demonstrating capability and working out kinks to prepare for eventually operating on the moon.

Video of free flight:

Play

Video of flight, including views from camera in payload:

Play Xodiac Testing