System Development of an Experimental Rocket for a Launch Campaign Organized by The Association of Planete Sciences, France

Abstract

This paper presents the system development of an experimental rocket for a launch campaign organized by the Association of Planete Sciences in France (http://www.planete-sciences.org). A two-stage experimental rocket was developed by 'Space Club Gifu' and the principal author's laboratory at Gifu University. It incorporates GPS, acceleration and pressure sensors as well as two cameras, one omni-directional. The goals of our experiment are as follows:1. Constant video monitoring of motor combustion and activity during launch and flight.2. Acquisition of accelerometer, pressure and GPS data for comparison with simulated results.3. Developing a new mechanism for stage separation in order to build a future vehicle with two rocket motors.4. The launch and return of a quasi-satellite to a pre-selected location using GPS data.The rocket launched successfully at La Courtine, France in 1st August of 2007, but unfortunately, the first stage could not be recovered. It along with the video footage of the rocket motor burn was lost. However, the second stage and the quasi-satellite were safely found. This project provides excellent training for engineering students in the fundamentals of engineering design and manufacturing.