Spender Cold-Flow Attempt 2 - June 3rd–4th, 2023
Spender returned with rebuilt propellant plumbing and a reworked control system. The campaign was intended to complete leak checks, pressurization, inert loading and a full flow before Launch Canada.
Sequence and outcome
Multiple leaks in the upper assembly were identified and repaired at the test site. The lower assembly held pressure on its first check. The control-system rebuild was not ready, so the team reverted to the previous Arduino controller. Leak work and the controls fallback consumed the available window before propellant loading, pressurization and flow could be completed.
Leak measurements
The system initially appeared to hold pressure, but later telemetry showed continued loss on the nitrous-side circuit while the fuel-side circuit remained stable. The nitrous-side leak was estimated at roughly 5 cm³/s, and the test cylinder lost approximately 200 psi. That estimate is why the campaign was not treated as a completed leak qualification despite the successful vent and visible leak-check results.
Corrective actions
The next plan called for a separate high-pressure PCP-air test of the nitrous circuit, preset regulators before arrival, completion of the control-system rewiring and software, and clearer pad-state indication through the GUI, cameras and stack light.
