IREC
Spaceport America Cup competition rocketry
A group of ~30 students work on a 100% student researched and developed Level 3 competition rocket. Incoming members have the option to work on several different subgroups under a team of upperclassmen to learn the various components to building a sounding rocket.
Our competition, the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition, takes place at Spaceport America in New Mexico every year in June. You're scored on a variety of subjects; engineering design, accuracy of simulations, apogee, compilation of technical documentation and innovation. Visit either the Spaceport America Cup website or the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association website for further details.
Structures
Contact: Arnav Mohapatra arnav.mohapatra@ubseds.org
Learn to design, analyze, test and construct the air frame of our competition sounding rocket. We utilize CAD and FEA to model and simulate our various components. You will also learn how to hand lay fiberglass parts, machine aluminum, and assemble the items you've designed.
avionics
Contact: Dario Tringali dario.tringali@ubseds.org
Learn the basics of making a functional avionics bay to control any type of rocket. Using Raspberry Pi's, Arduino's and custom made PCB boards, you will learn to create a system to deploy parachutes, track altitude and pressure as well as send live information back down to our ground station to be observed mid-flight.
propulsion
Contact: Schooner Ene schooner.ene@ubseds.org
Learn the basics of how a propulsion system works in a sounding rocket. Utilize the machine shop and CNC to create aluminum casings, graphite nozzles and testing stands for full size test motors. Create and test solid composite propellant mixtures from 38 mm to 98 mm in size.
dynamics
Contact: Krish Patel krish.patel@ubseds.org
Learn to utilize OpenRocket and RocSim to simulate apogee projection and stability of our rocket. We will be determining external body shapes such as nose cone shape and fin dimensions to prepare our rocket for the aerodynamic effects of a 10,000 foot launch.
payload design team
Contact: Dario Tringali dario.tringali@ubsed.org
New subgroup team to research, design and build a scientific payload to meet the Space Dynamics Laboratory Payload Competition specification. We won third place for this in 2018 and would love to do it again! If you're interested or have a scientific payload you need flown, contact us.
