CUSF Intro Talk - Cambridge University Spaceflight

Cambridge University
Spaceflight
The Society
● Student run space programme
● Rocket into space (100km)
● Self funded
Meetings
● Evenings, once per week
● Lab is in the Baker Building
basement at the Engineering
Department
● Non-CUED members can
request card access
● Mostly to plan out what we'll
be doing - a lot of work is
done in smaller groups on adhoc organisation basis
Programmes
● Nova
○ High altitude weather
balloons for testing
electronics in nearspace conditions
● Comet
○ Rocket launches from
high altitude balloons
(rockoons) to get to
space
Projects
● Badger
○ Sophisticated rocket/balloon
flight computer
● Badger Cub
○ Tiny flight computer for backup
purposes
● Weasel
○ Arduino based tracker made by
last year's freshers
● Squirrel
○ Android based tracker
including photography
● Wombat
○ Latest generation flight
computer, in development
Projects Continued
● Martlet
○ Design and build of
a small sounding
rocket capable of
being launched from
a high altitude
balloon
● Raccoon
○ Rocket flight
computer
Nova
● Permanent launch site at
Churchill College
● Regular launches, both
internal and external to
CUSF
● Demo launch in near
future
Nova
Nova 1
Nova / Weasel
Nova 19/Weasel
Wombat
● New generation radios in
progress - "Wombat"
○ Frequency and power
programmable
○ Small & lightweight
○ For balloons and
rockets
● Prototyping stage
● Test launch in a few
weeks
Raccoon
● Current work on a flight
computer for the rocket
● Based on the LISA
platform from Joby
Robotics (ARM Cortex
M3)
● Software GPS engine to
cope with rapidly
changing dynamic
conditions
● Will use "Wombat" radios
for telemetry
Martlet
● We're ramping up work
on rockets - trying to do
more launches, get more
experience
● Lots of rocket launches
and related work in near
future