News
24.06.08 Schools CompetitionWe 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 postponedThe 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 EARSWe 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 EARSAt 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 ConferenceSeveral of the team went to the UK Space Conference, and enjoyed meeting people there and hearing some interesting talks.
16.03.08 Cambridge Science FestivalWe 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 launchWe 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 updateWe 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 EventThe 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 ChallengeCambridge 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 conferenceThe 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.
For a quick overview of what CU Spaceflight is doing at the moment click here
05.10.07 Collaboration with MIT Rocket TeamCU 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 talkThe CU Spaceflight team gave a talk to the Annual Joint Meeting of Cambridgeshire RAeS and IET.
12.04.07 Nova 5 foundThe 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 24kmThe 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 successfulNova 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.
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.