News

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25.03.09 March '09 project update summary

A new project update sheet with some of the latest team activities is now avaiable here

22.03.09 Nova 10 partial success

The Nova 10 mission, carrying an experimental satellite star tracker for Cambridge University Engineering Dept, was our first attempt to use two balloons attached to a single payload. This allows us both to lift heavier weights and to cut away one of the balloons, reducing the ascent rate and providing an extended-duration "float". It also employed a novel set of large fabric "sails" to stabilise the payload platform and minimise attitude slew rates.

Unfortunately, higher-than-forecast winds and a lower-than-predicted ascent rate forced the onboard computer to command an early cut-down to avoid landing in the English Channel. Cutting away at 19km altitude, the balloon never reached the intended float height of 26km. At this lower altitude the sky was too bright for the star tracker to usefully operate, but we gathered valuable information on flying dual-balloon systems. The payload platform and star tracker experiment were recovered completely intact near Ashford, Kent, and are ready to fly again.

01.03.09 Martlet 0 ground test successful

Martlet 0 is a prototype of the rocket CU Spaceflight are developing to launch from a balloon to outer space (100km+). The prototype is custom built from carbon fibre and kevlar and was launched at the EARS rocketry site to just under 9,000ft and a speed of around Mach 1 (760mph), close to its predicted performance. The launch used a commercial 'J-class' solid rocket fuel motor due to altitude limitations at the launch site, but is designed for rocket motors with three times the power. The rocket had onboard GPS, radio tracking and dual parachutes, which made for an easy recovery.

For more information about the Martlet project see the martlet page or for a launch video visit the media page.

16.02.09 CU Spaceflight introduced to HRH Prince Philip

During a visit to the Cambridge University Engineering Department the CU Spaceflight team were delighted to introduce the project's concepts and successes to His Royal Highness Prince Philip.

1.12.08 Space teddies return safely

Students from Parkside and Colleridge schools helped to launch four teddies wearing space suits that they had designed. The teddies reached an altitude of just over 30 km and their temperatures were logged throughout the flight to see how they fared in the extreme cold. The different spacesuit designs resulted in distinct difference in the temperatures of the teddies. However, we fear that the bears may all have frozen, with each dropping below -40 °C and one reaching -53 °C. When the payload was launched, just after 11am, there were some fears that it might end up in the sea. But, with a very quick ascent, these fears were laid to rest and the payload landed 4 miles north-east of Ipswich. For the first time ever we actually made it to the landing site in time to see the payload come down! At burst our prediction software provided us with an estimate that was less than 2 km from the actual landing site. We arrived in time to see a beautifully inflated parachute floating just a few hundred meters above our heads. More photos of the intrepid space teddies can be seen on our media page. A press release can be found here.

29.08.08 Nova 8 dawn launch a great success

Today the team had a very early start launching NOVA 8 at 4:07am. The payload consisted of three cameras and the Badger board plus the HAPS-D (High Altitude Photo System Dawn) was also carried. The aim of the flight was to test a new tracking system which combines wind speed data gathered during the ascent to update and refine the predicted landing site. This was a great success and the team were able to park and wait less than a kilometer from the final landing site. All the cameras functioned correctly providing some stunning images which can be found on our media page .

26.07.08 CU Spaceflight invited to join the Space Fellowship

We were recently delighted to be invited to join the Space Fellowship, a website that encompasses the whole new-space community. The Space Fellowship company forums can be visited here.

26.07.08 Nova 7 early morning launch and new UK record!

Yesterday we followed up our recent launch by launching the same payload for a second time. We launched the balloon at 3am in the hope of capturing some photos of the sunrise from altitude and further testing our new flight computer design. We tracked the payload successfully again and our flight computer performed perfectly. The payload reached a final altitude of 33 280m beating the record we set just three days ago! Unfortunately, upon recovering the payload we found the two onboard cameras had failed less than an hour into the flight before it had started to get light. We did get one tantalizing photo that hints at how the photos could have come out. We will definitely be making a second attempt at a sunrise launch in the coming months.

24.07.08 July update released

We have released our July update and newsletter which you view here.

23.07.08 CU Spacefight's Nova 6 breaks UK altitude record

We launched our sixth Nova balloon payload today and the flight was succesful reaching an altitude of 32 461m. We recovered our payload undamaged and managed to track it by radio for the entire duration of the flight. The payload had onboard two still image cameras and a prototype of the new flight computer design. A small selection of the 3000 photos taken is available here. There is also a KML file of the flight path for Google Earth.

08.07.08 New rocket video

A new video of our rocket has been posted on YouTube: click here to see it.

24.06.08 Schools Competition

We moved into our new home in the Institute for Manufacturing. We have organised a competition for students aged 11-16 to design an experiment to be flown to the edge of space on one of our balloons - we will be working with pupils from Parkside Federation (Parkside and Coleridge Community Colleges).

18.06.08 SEDS Challenge postponed

The SEDS Innovation Challenge, which was supposed to be this October, has been postponed until at least April 2009. We are intending to carry on working as before.

01.06.08 Test launch at EARS

We planned a second launch of "Racing Blue" at EARS, for Iain's Level 2 practical, but the weather was too bad. We did manage to test the new ejection charges for the rocket parachute, and eventually got them to work. A few of the team members have finished exams, and built a launch rail prototype.

04.05.08 Test launch at EARS

At the East Anglia Rocketry Society's monthly launch, we did our first test launch of "Racing Blue", Iain's certification rocket. The launch went well, and with the Level 1 qualification he will be able to build and launch larger and more experimental rockets under their insurance. He also passed the written exam part of Level 2.

27.03.08 UK Space Conference

Several of the team went to the UK Space Conference, and enjoyed meeting people there and hearing some interesting talks.

16.03.08 Cambridge Science Festival

We were at the Cambridge Science Festival again, helping children build small paper rockets and launch them. Some of the team also went to the Science Festival talk on Space Tourism by Will Whitehorn and Duncan Law-Green.

02.03.08 EARS launch

We planned to launch a test rocket at EARS (www.ears.org.uk) to get UKRA certification, but it was too windy. Since we were there, we bought and built a model rocket, which was fun and gave the rest of the team some good experience. There are photos online.

03.02.08 News update

We sent a news update to our mailing list explaining what's been going on over the past few months. The list is cuspaceflight-interest on the SRCF if anyone in Cambridge wants to join.

09.12.07 Cavendish Laboratory/IoP December Event

The Cavendish Laboratory and the Institute of Physics ran their December outreach event for local families. Members of the CU Spaceflight team helped children of all ages to build a small rocket and launch it.

07.12.07 CUED Primary Engineering Challenge

Cambridge University Engineering Department ran their "Rocket Launchpad" outreach event for local primary schools. Members of the CU Spaceflight team helped children aged 9-11 to build a small rocket and launch it.

18.11.07 SpaceVision conference

The CU Spaceflight team travelled to Boston for the SpaceVision 2007 Conference held at MIT. We presented our project to students and professionals in the space industry and learned about many other exciting innovations happening in the field.
While in the other Cambridge, we had our first face-to-face meeting with the MIT Rocket Team. The meeting produced positive results and our joint effort in the SEDS 2008 Innovation Challenge is well on track.

16.10.07 Information Leaflet

For a quick overview of what CU Spaceflight is doing at the moment click here

05.10.07 Collaboration with MIT Rocket Team

CU Spaceflight is going to be working closely with the MIT Rocket Team for its next Martlet launch. CU Spaceflight will concentrate on the launch platform while most of the rocket development takes place at MIT. The MIT Rocket Team website can be found here.

05.07 RAeS and IET talk

The CU Spaceflight team gave a talk to the Annual Joint Meeting of Cambridgeshire RAeS and IET.

12.04.07 Nova 5 found

The Nova 5 vehicle and Martlet 1 rocket have been found in a field near Bedford. It appears that mechanical problems prevented the solid rocket motor from igniting and it did not leave the launch tube. Nevertheless it is fully reusable! We hope to have more information soon after downloading the log files from the flight computer.

24.03.07 Nova 5 fires rocket from 24km

The Nova 5 launch platform and Martlet 1 concept demonstrator rocket lifted off from the Cavendish laboratory today into low overcast cloud. Despite some telemetry difficulties we received indications that the rocket had been launched from its firing tube at an altitude of 24km. So far we have not been able to recover either vehicle.

07.03.07 Nova 4 flight successful

Nova 4 was launched today as a concept demonstrator for the Martlet launch platform. It consisted of everything necessary to fire a small D-class rocket except for the rocket itself. The vehicle reached an altitude of 20,005m before cut down and descent landing near Colchester, Essex.
Vital stats: 20km apogee, cutdown triggered due to 45km distance, both (mechanically parallel) cutdowns operated successfully, pilot-deployed drogue chute worked but rigging problems caused tangles and chute didn't open fully. Some spin on descent but recovered before firm 8m/s landing.

23.01.07 Cutdown test "Nova 3" reached Germany!

On Sunday 7th January 2007 UKHAS were meant to launch a train of payloads, however due to electronics failure no module was in a position to launch. Instead we attached a PIC controlled cutdown on a timer, the old Peg III radio beacon, a radar reflector and parachute to a 350g balloon and called it Nova 3. On Tuesday 23 January 2007 Nova 3 was found in Germany near to the Danish Border at: 54.7442 N, 8.4665 E, a distance of 620km from the launch site. The payload has been arranged to be sent back so we will have more information when it arrives home.

19.11.06 Nova 2 launched and lost in the North Sea

The second flight in the Nova programme was launched today but suffered from a mechanical failure - stronger than predicted winds blew the vehicle out towards the North Sea. The onboard software detected this and attempted to cut away the balloon, but the hot-wire cutter failed to separate the payload from the balloon. Nevertheless some important objectives were achieved including demonstration of the new radio telemetry system at a range of more than 150km.

12.09.06 "Project Nova takes to the skies!"

A press release is available from this weekend's launch. Our press section also includes high resolution photos and video suitable for media.

9.09.06 Nova 1 has launched!

We reached 32km (105,000 ft) and safely recovered the payload with some amazing pictures.
Launch report and photos.

14.08.06 Balloon Aerial Station Test

Tests to determine the range of a new tracking station were conducted today, involving a receiver with a whip antenna being lifted on a tethered balloon to a height of about 30m. Some promising results were obtained though the test had to be terminated due to a technical fault. In general our experience is that the reception range can be greatly extended by use of this method, and the equipment needed can fit in the boot of a car, but it takes some time to set up and expends a medium-sized balloon so it should only be used as a last resort. We will plan to receive all necessary telemetry from a fixed base at the top of either the University Library or the Churchill Møller Centre towers.