Propulsion

The propulsion subteam specializes in rocket engine design, analysis, manufacturing, and testing. The components of interest include:

The combustion chamber

Liquid oxidizer regulation & feed systems

Ground support equipment and systems

Predictive models of engine performance

Post-test analysis and iterative design

Avionics

Avionics is responsible for building, programming, testing, and integrating the electronic control systems responsible for a variety of mission-critical functions:

Monitoring and controlling the rocket propulsion system

Recording of in-flight telemetry data

Broadcasting real-time heading and altitude data of the rocket to mission-control

Actuating pyrotechnic stage separation and recovery

Structures

Responsible for designing and manufacturing the body of the rocket, including:

The nose cone

Body tubes

Fins and mounts

Interstage bulkheads

Electronics mounting & packaging

Propulsion systems mounting

Recovery

Responsible for design, analysis, and testing of the recovery system which ensures that the vehicle and all data onboard safely returns to the ground. Key tasks involve:

Designing a dual deployment recovery system

Integrating the system into the vehicle

Calculating descent rate, parachute sizing, and pyrodex mass

Performing static ground testing of pyrotechnic separations under varying conditions