Experimenting with rocket design

[Drake Firebreed]

Me and a couple buddies are working on various designs for rockets. Mainly going to be small scale but one of my buddies is concerned because some of the materials could be used for bomb making. I was wondering if anyone had experience with this.

I'm assuming proper documentation and storage are the key here. But I just don't even know where to begin for the respective laws and regulations.

[rwanttaja]

Me and a couple buddies are working on various designs for rockets. Mainly going to be small scale but one of my buddies is concerned because some of the materials could be used for bomb making. I was wondering if anyone had experience with this.

I'm assuming proper documentation and storage are the key here. But I just don't even know where to begin for the respective laws and regulations.

"There's a fine line between a bomb and a rocket. And the finer the line, the better the rocket...."

Ron Wanttaja

[Dana]

Model rocketry is a pretty established hobby, and commercially made rocket engines are readily available without significant restrictions. I think they're classified as "propellant", not "explosive", just like ammunition reloading supplies.

[DaleB]

Just in case you had not already found it, there's an organization of like-minded people that you may want to check out:

Model Rocket Information | National Association of Rocketry (nar.org) (https://www.nar.org/model-rocket-info/)

[Drake Firebreed]

Thanks for the link I'll look into them.

From what I've been able to gather I'll need a explosives manufacturing permit form TF E-Form 5400.13/5400.16
That allows me to manufacturer and store the materials. Then it's is all about documentation of materials and proper communication with the FAA.