Estes Echostar

Estes - Echostar {Kit} (2176) [2001-2003]

Contributed by Sean Guzek

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Diameter: 1.33 inches
Length: 29.00 inches
Manufacturer: Estes
Skill Level: 3
Style: Multi-Stage

Brief:
A complicated Estes 2-stage payload rocket.

Estes Echostar

Construction:
The booster consists of:

  • 1 3.25" BT-55 body tube
  • 1 Tube connector for BT-55
  • 2 BT-55 to BT-20 centering rings
  • 1 3.25" 18mm motor mount tube
  • 1 1/8" Thick sheets balsa with die cut fins

The sustainer consists of:

  • 2 1/8" Thick sheets balsa with die cut fins
  • 1 Estes 4" NC-20 nosecone
  • 1 3 7/8" BT-20 Clear payload section
  • 1 3 3/4" BT-20 Body tube
  • 1 BT-20 Tube coupler
  • 1 1 1/4" BT-20 to BT-55 transition
  • 1 14" BT-55 Body tube with precut slots for TTW fin mounting
  • 1 7" BT-20 Engine mount
  • 1 1/4" Engine block
  • 2 BT-55 to BT-20 centering rings
  • 2 5/8" long 1/8" diameter launch lugs
  • 1 18" Estes plastic parachute

The Echostar is the most complicated rocket I have ever built. I worked on it for about 3-4 hours per day and it took me three days to finish. The four sets of fins were a real pain. I really wish I had CA when I was building it. Two of the fin sets had slots for mounting which made the job a bit easier but it was still a lot of work. Getting the fins out of the balsa sheets was a pain as well. I broke two when trying to get them out but thankfully they weren't too hard to fix. Using a hobby knife is definitely advised. Make sure you have enough glue on the fins, as I lost one on my second launch. The rest of the construction is pretty straightforward. I found the coupler between the booster and the sustainer was a bit too long and held the two stages together too tightly so I left about a quarter inch on and trimmed off the rest. Use your own judgement when doing this.

Finishing:
I found that sanding the fins before putting them on the rocket would have been a major help, as after they were on the rocket, it sure was a pain. Decals come with the kit but I found mine were not the stickiest ones I have ever used. If you are good at painting your rockets I would suggest leaving them off entirely.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
The motors are held in by friction fitting and wrapping the masking tape around the motors in a screw pattern and then twisting them in to make a good fit. A C6-0 is used in the booster where as you can use any motor for the upper stage. I have used As and Bs in the sustainer and they both work well. The Echostar I built tended to go off at a 45 degree angle after leaving the guide rod, but after that it flew straight as an arrow. I think this is because it wasn't going fast enough when it left the rod and accelerated to a stable speed after leaving the rod.

Recovery:
I found that the parachute that Estes supplies is good for the Echostar and it came down in a reasonable amount of time. Make sure to paint the booster a bright, shiny color or put reflective tape on it because I found that it can be hard to spot when it is coming down.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
I feel that after finishing and launching the Echostar, building a level three rocket was a rewarding experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the build and it was quite fun having the only two-stage rocket at the launch.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews
  • Estes Echostar By Wade DePalma

    This is a medium sized rocket from Estes which I bought because I thought it looked really cool. It is my first multi-staged rocket and I'm happy that it had a payload section to go alone with that. The Echostar uses an 18mm motor mount and an 18in parachute. The rocket uses typical Estes components although there is no motor hook. Its main body tube and booster tube are BT-55s. Its upper ...

  • Estes Echostar By Dan Doleiden

    A two staged low power payloader with through-the-wall fin alignment and 3 sets of fins (booster, sustainer, canard fins). There was one main slotted body tube, one small tube that goes on top of the plastic transition, and one booster tube. there were two sheets of die cut balsa fins, nosecone, decals, shock cord, parachute, centering rings, and motor mount. The instructions were ...

  • Estes Echostar By Anthony Brohan

      Brief: Nice staged rocket, low power, parachute is too big, but a GOOD design. There were four body tubes and a payload section that was WAY to small. There were three sets of four fins (hard for a little kid). The instructions were easy (why is it Skill Level 3?). Illustrations I don't know about. I did not really follow the assembly order but it still flew okay. The multiple ...

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