Insurance for Liquid and Experimental Rockets

[cmflannery]

Hi all,

I am the chief engineer of a student organization at the University of California, San Diego. Unfortunately, we have been hitting a lot of roadblocks with our projects this year due to the liability associated with large, sustained, directional explosions. UCSD has offered little support, and it looks as though our sole hope for survival is to get insurance for our activities and events through a third party.

I am aware of the insurance offered through Tripole and NAR, but they only cover commercial motors, so our liquid rockets wouldn't be covered. What other options are there for insurance for such an organization?

Thanks!

cmflannery

P.S. if you are interested in reading more about our org, check us out on linked in or fb. We are a very new org, so excuse the dust on our website.
https://www.facebook.com/rocketproplab
https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/17934448/

 

[dhbarr]

Deflagration

Check out RRS and/or FAR

 

[cherokeej]

Yeah... You need to talk to the folks at FAR.

 

[Nytrunner]

Really wish I could offer more advice than "Don't expect much help from your university".

Best of luck to your team.

 

[rstaff3]

These guys might also help https://www.rrs.org/

 

[cerving]

FAR is your best bet, they got a big space with the proper facilities (bunkers, storage, workspaces) and they're not all that far from you (maybe a 4 hour drive, if you hit it before the 15 freeway chokes up). Looking at their web site, it looks like some of the UCSD groups have been out there... you might want to talk to your SEDS and Triton people.

 

[ksaves2]

Dick's suggestion is probably the only one viable. Go to a hardened site in a very secluded spot where a mishap could be absorbed without much trouble. Insurance? You gotta be kidding. The premium would be a killer. Kurt