PROJECTS

From first launch
to first liquid engine.

Cavour and VES have flown four times across three countries. Efesto is the liquid engine that comes next. All of it designed, built and flown by students of Politecnico di Torino.

FLIGHTS: 4
COUNTRIES: 3
AWARDS: 3
TARGET APOGEE: 9 000 m
ENGINE TARGET: 5 kN

01 · 2022 – 2023FLOWN ×3

Cavour

The Team's first rocket. Single stage, solid motor, composite airframe. Three configurations in one year.The Team's first rocket, named after Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour. Single stage, solid COTS motor, 100 mm internal diameter, composite airframe with 3D-printed carbon-reinforced internals. Modular enough to fly three configurations in one year.

VERSIONSCVR 100-75-3CVR 100-75-4CVR 100-54-6

DIAMETER: 104 mm
LENGTH: 2 167 mm
WET MASS: 8.4 kg
MOTOR: CTI L1350
MAX SPEED: 320 m/s
APOGEETARGET APOGEE: 3 000 m

DATE	WHERE	APOGEE	MAX SPEED	RESULT
29 Apr 2023	Bavaria, Germany · test launch	1 331 m	163 m/s	Nominal. Recovered intact, reusable.
22 Jun 2023	Spaceport America Cup, New Mexico	3 143 m	295 m/s	Nominal. 20th of 119 universities. DR. GIL MOORE AWARD FOR INNOVATION
13 Oct 2023	EuRoC, Santa Margarida, Portugal	2 800 m	266 m/s	Boost nominal. Recovery failed, 75 m/s impact. ANACOM BEST TELEMETRY AWARD

DATE

WHERE

APOGEE

MAX SPEED

RESULT

29 Apr 2023

Bavaria, Germany · test launch

1 331 m

163 m/s

Nominal. Recovered intact, reusable.

22 Jun 2023

Spaceport America Cup, New Mexico

3 143 m

295 m/s

Nominal. 20th of 119 universities.

DR. GIL MOORE AWARD FOR INNOVATION

13 Oct 2023

EuRoC, Santa Margarida, Portugal

2 800 m

266 m/s

Boost nominal. Recovery failed, 75 m/s impact.

ANACOM BEST TELEMETRY AWARD

02 · 2023 – 2025FLOWN ×1

VES

Second Founding Fathers rocket, built to fly student-designed avionics, recovery and airbrakes.Vittorio Emanuele II. The second rocket of the Founding Fathers series, 130 mm internal diameter, built to fly student-designed systems: flight computer, ground station, ejection recovery and airbrakes. Mark I flew EuRoC 2024. Mark II was built supersonic for IREC 2025.

VERSIONSVES Mark IIVES Mark ITest version

DIAMETER: 134 mm
LENGTH: 3 650 mm
WET MASS: 33.4 kg
MOTOR: AT O5500XAerotech O5500X
MAX SPEED: Mach 1.8626 m/s · Mach 1.8
APOGEETARGET APOGEE: 9 000 m

DATE	WHERE	APOGEE	MAX SPEED	RESULT
12 Oct 2024	EuRoC, Santa Margarida, Portugal · Mark I	3 160 m	259 m/s	Nominal flight. Split on descent, both halves recovered. 6th of 25 teams.
13 Jul 2025	IREC, Midland, Texas · Mark II	–	–	Did not fly. COTS motor failed on ignition (manufacturer defect). Avionics, recovery and nose cone recovered intact. 1ST PLACE DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY

DATE

WHERE

APOGEE

MAX SPEED

RESULT

12 Oct 2024

EuRoC, Santa Margarida, Portugal · Mark I

3 160 m

259 m/s

Nominal flight. Split on descent, both halves recovered. 6th of 25 teams.

13 Jul 2025

IREC, Midland, Texas · Mark II

–

Did not fly. COTS motor failed on ignition (manufacturer defect). Avionics, recovery and nose cone recovered intact.

1ST PLACE DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY

03 · 2023 – NOWIN DEVELOPMENT

Efesto

Not a rocket: Italy's first pressure-fed liquid engine, printed in copper.Not a rocket: a liquid rocket engine, and the first pressure-fed one built in Italy. Regeneratively cooled, printed as one assembly, with a copper metal-matrix chamber developed with Politecnico's labs. It is the propulsion for the Team's first bi-liquid vehicle.

OXIDIZER: N₂ONitrous oxide (N₂O)
FUEL: Ethanol
THRUSTTARGET THRUST: 5 kN
CYCLE: Pressure-fed
COOLING: Regenerative
CHAMBER: Cu MMC, printedCu metal-matrix, printed

FIVE WORK LINES

INJECTOR HEAD PRESENTED · 26TH ESA PAC SYMPOSIUM, LUZERN · MAY 2024

TCA
Thrust Chamber Assembly
EC
Engine Cycle · RocketForge tool
LSA
Liquid System Architecture
TB
Test Bench
ECS
Engine Control Strategy

Cavour

LAUNCH LOG · 3 FLIGHTS

VES

LAUNCH LOG · 2 CAMPAIGNS

Efesto

FIVE WORK LINES

FIVE WORK LINES