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T
O W E R L A U N C H E R N E W S
 Launch
Lugs: What a Drag
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dding launch rod or rail "lugs" to your high performance
rocket can increase the drag coefficient by as much as 30%!
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When
designing a high performance rocket, we take great care in converting
every newton second of that motor into altitude by giving our
rockets an ogive nose, perfectly shaped fins and even that extra
meticulous finishing and paint application...only to add launch
lugs right out there in the air stream! Following closely behind
the frontal area of our rockets in the drag stack-up are launch
lugs. Especially in a mach-busting vehicle system, any unnecessary
protrusions can produce a significant amount of parasitic drag,
possibly as much as 30% of a vehicles total drag coefficient.
A tower launch pad can eliminate the need for these external nuisances.
Tower type launch pads eliminate the need for launch lugs.
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