03/17/2026
Photos from Valkyrie's first flight! (There will be more coming soon!) Here's some details about the test flight:
Unfortunately, during the flight the main parachute was unable to deploy due to the upper body tube and nose cone failing to separate. Valkyrie hit the ground pretty hard, causing damage to the upper body tube, and the avionics bay. However, the nose cone, aft body tube, fins, and payload are intact.
This may not be the outcome we wanted, but this is the reason why we do test flights. It's important that we encounter these issues when we have enough time to resolve them before IREC.
Despite setbacks, seeing our rocket take off and land mostly intact after all the work we put in is still incredible.
Photos taken by Bodhi Teraguchi
