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Yes—according to a Futurism report published October 26, 2024, a slice of Gruyère strapped to one landing leg of a student rocket prototype was followed by spinning during descent. The vehicle, identified as CALIBRI in the article (while the embedded video’s title spells it COLIBRI), reached a reported 32 yards and landed safely. This was a vertical hop test, not a failed operational launch.
What happened during the test?
The Lausanne, Switzerland-based Gruyère Space Program conducted a short vertical flight of its student-built prototype. One of the rocket’s three landing legs had a slice of Gruyère attached to it. Futurism says the rocket climbed to 32 yards, began spinning on the way down and then made a safe landing with the cheese still attached.
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The 32-yard altitude is the figure reported by Futurism, not independently verified flight data. No primary test log or technical flight report is identified in the account.
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The team’s explanation
Gruyère Space Program president Jérémy Marciacq told Interesting Engineering, in remarks reproduced by Futurism: “Yes, it was indeed gruyère, and it almost caused a disaster!” He said the cheese “led to the rocket over-spinning.” That is the team’s attributed explanation, rather than a published measurement of the forces involved.
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What the article infers
Futurism also suggests that putting extra material on only one of three legs could have affected the vehicle’s aerodynamics or mass distribution. The report presents that as an inference, not as a demonstrated calculation or confirmed test result. It supplies no measured cheese mass, center-of-gravity shift, roll rate or aerodynamic data.
Why a small object can matter on a small rocket
A landing leg sits away from the vehicle’s centerline. An object mounted there can change airflow and add an off-center mass. If the resulting forces do not act symmetrically, they can create a torque—a tendency to rotate the vehicle. During descent, that torque may compete with the rocket’s ability to damp or correct roll.
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That general mechanism explains why the team’s president described the episode as exposing design limits, “notably for roll control.” It does not establish exactly which effect dominated this flight; the report does not include a controlled comparison with and without the cheese.
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Was the rocket damaged or canceled?
No. The account describes a prototype hop test that landed safely. “Almost caused a disaster” is Marciacq’s characterization of the risk, not a report that the vehicle crashed or that a scheduled operational launch was scrubbed.
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What happened to the cheese?
Futurism reports that the students ate it afterward. Marciacq said: “It was slightly warm, but still quite tasty!” That is a reported comment, not independent evidence that the cheese was handled or assessed for food safety after the flight.
What this anecdote actually demonstrates
- The event involved a student-built prototype and a vertical hop test.
- The cheese was attached to one landing leg, and the vehicle reportedly spun during descent before landing safely.
- The aerodynamic explanation comes from the group’s president; the additional asymmetric-weight explanation is tentative.
- The practical engineering lesson was a limitation in roll control.
- The vehicle name is inconsistent in the available account: CALIBRI in Futurism’s text and COLIBRI in the linked video’s title.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did cheese really make a rocket spin?
The team’s president said the Gruyère led to over-spinning, and Futurism reported that explanation. The available account does not provide independent aerodynamic measurements, so the precise contribution of the cheese is not proven.
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Did the rocket crash?
No. Futurism says the prototype spun during descent but landed safely with the cheese still attached.
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No. It was reported as a student rocket prototype’s vertical hop test, not an operational launch that was canceled or failed.
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The Bottom Line
The cheese story is a real reported engineering anecdote: a slice fixed to one landing leg preceded unexpected spin on a student rocket’s descent, yet the prototype landed safely. The report supports a roll-control lesson, not a quantified claim that cheese alone caused the motion.
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