Putting astronautics and space engineering into practice with the CranSEDS rocket launch
04/08/2016
As well as studying MSc Astronautics and Space Engineering at Cranfield University, I am also currently treasurer of CranSEDS – Cranfield Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. As part of this society, our president Robert Sandford, Aqeel Shamsul, Rosario Lopez Estergaard Jacobsen and I undertook a project to build a small, solid motor rocket. This was in conjunction with the UKSEDS rocketry competition.
In the photo above you can see the finished rocket, completed and ready for launch, which we did on 10 July this year. The payload included an altimeter and a small, low resolution camera to record the duration of the flight.
The rocket was a simple singular deployment, solid motor vehicle. This means that the rocket was designed such that the nose cone (white) and payload section (section above the orange) were one unit which, when the parachute was deployed, would separate from the main body tube, or engine section (the main part of the rocket, seen with the Cranseds logo, in orange).
The rocket was successfully launched by myself and Giulia Serra, reaching an altitude of over 1200ft! The camera recorded the flight, including successful deployment of the parachute that allowed for a soft landing in the fields around Norton-Juxta Twycross. This was in association with Midland Rocketry club who were kind enough to allow us to launch our rocket at one of their monthly events at this launch site.
The rocket will be ready to launch again in the future and is just one of the many projects which CranSEDS has undertaken this year. The projects range from rocketry to atmospheric studies using high altitude weather balloons. These projects are really important practical applications of the theory learned during the aerospace and aeronautical courses here at Cranfield University.
—
Find out more about CranSEDS and aerospace courses at Cranfield…
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
Keren Tuv: My Cranfield experience studying Renewable Energy
Hello, my name is Keren, I am from London, UK, and I am studying Renewable Energy MSc. My journey to discovering Cranfield University began when I first decided to return to academia to pursue ...
3D Metal Manufacturing in space: A look into the future
David Rico Sierra, Research Fellow in Additive Manufacturing, was recently involved in an exciting project to manufacture parts using 3D printers in space. Here he reflects on his time working with Airbus in Toulouse… ...
A Legacy of Courage: From India to Britain, Three Generations Find Their Home
My story begins with my grandfather, who plucked up the courage to travel aboard at the age of 22 and start a new life in the UK. I don’t think he would have thought that ...
Cranfield to JLR: mastering mechatronics for a dream career
My name is Jerin Tom, and in 2023 I graduated from Cranfield with an MSc in Automotive Mechatronics. Originally from India, I've always been fascinated by the world of automobiles. Why Cranfield and the ...
Bringing the vision of advanced air mobility closer to reality
Experts at Cranfield University led by Professor Antonios Tsourdos, Head of the Autonomous and Cyber-Physical Systems Centre, are part of the Air Mobility Ecosystem Consortium (AMEC), which aims to demonstrate the commercial and operational ...
Using grey literature in your research: A short guide
As you research and write your thesis, you might come across, or be looking for, ‘grey literature’. This is quite simply material that is either unpublished, or published but not in a commercial form. Types ...