Who we are and what we do:
We are the avionics team of ASTRA e.V. and consist of students from different disciplines such as Space Sciences and Technologies, Space Engineering and, Systems Engineering. Our team is responsible for the electronics and flight computer development. This includes for example building the flight computer and PCDU (Power control and distribution unit) for the rocket, and the control interface for the recovery drop test or the propulsion test.
A rocket flight computer is an electronics board with sensors and microcontrollers that estimates the orientation and the position of the rocket during the flight. It can also be setup to have some system control on the rocket: For our hybrid rocket Phoenix, the flight computer will be triggering the ignition and the main valve at the launch and deploying the parachutes at an desired height during the decent. The PCDU is used to provide electrical power from the battery pack to different modules in the rocket.
Furthermore, we are responsible for building the control and data acquisition system for the pressure test and the propulsion test. The data aquistion setup is used to measure any desired data using sensors and stored on a SD-Card for later analysis. The control setup is used to control the valves and igniters involved in the tests.
Our previous achievements:
Our flight computer performed as required in the drop test. This test was performed to test the parachute triggering setup in actual environment. Our flight computer thereby estimated the orientation and position of the nose cone. It also recorded a video clip of the test: https://youtu.be/kK8NnmIiw7w?si=trG9Ou9LVLTtTzVi
The control interface and the data aquisition circuit also performed as required in the first and the second propulsion test campaign. The ground systems control setup such as the filling station control circuit was developed by the Avionics team for our rocket KARMA. It was also successfully tested in the second propulsion test campaign.
Currently, our team is working on the hardware development for the second rocket Phoenix.
A few ASTRAnauts introduce themselves
Moin!
I am Janhavi, and I am working for Avionics department here in ASTRA. e.V. I am a student in Hochschule Bremen and studying a master degree in Electronics engineering. Boat rowing is a sport I discovered in Bremen, and I love it here. I always have been keen to know more about space and satellites. This is why I chose ASTRA e.V. , as it is a perfect environment for students like me to learn more with like-minded people. This place feels like a second home to me, where we work together to find the best solution.
Hello,
my name is Tom, I’m studying Systems Engineering in my second semester and I’m in the avionics team at ASTRA.e.V., where I’m responsible for assembly. In my spare time I do some sports and I am interested in 3D printing. Being part of ASTRA.e.V. allows me to make contacts with like-minded people and to do something practical (which is unfortunately far too rare in engineering degree programs in this country).
If you find this project as intriguing as we do, join our team by clicking on the button below.