Looks like overpressure with a forward closure blowout. I wonder if that’s the same chute that Rocketman built wrong and caused it to fall too fast last year (while avoiding admittance to a bad chute)? (Yeah he won’t tell you about that).
Yes, I can confirm that is the same 40' chute as last year. The pink gussets were added locally to improve the performance of the parachute to something closer to what the manufacturer originally claimed. The 2020 flight came in at 37fps, the manufacturer claim was 17fps - so there is a lot of disparity between stated & actual.
The motor failure is still being analyzed - what is know is that there is a rupture of the casing about 6" from the top. From the slow motion footage, you can also see the 80Kg (176lbs) nose cone being pushed off the booster tube when the rocket was about 40' off the ground. The working theory is that 'something' failed, it vented in to the booster tube, pushed the nose up & off, and then proceeded to burn the resin out of the carbon fiber before rupturing the booster tube and creating that side ways vent.
Thankfully - The highly modified parachute did manage to hold things off the ground long enough to burn all propellant out. Without the required modifications things could of been a lot worse - the additional pink gussets did a stellar job.
Damage Report: Substantial damage to booster tube (can be replaced), slight damage to nose cone tip (can be replaced) and naff all damage to the fin can (can be re-used) - motor casing is gone burger, large rupture near top of case. Ego's have been bruised, and the Nike Gin supplies took a hammering.
As they say here in NZ 'Kia Kaha' which means Be Strong, I am sure the Nike Team will reflect on their achievements and be proud of what they achieved so far.
