Icarus
Our vision is to build up a pathway to sub-orbital launch in Indiana giving the opportunity for students and researchers to set their aspirations sky high. We will lower the cost of sounding rockets by implementing student developed technology and prioritizing reusability.
The team’s latest mission, Icarus Alpha, is a sounding rocket including a student developed solid rocket motor, avionics, and staging systems. In it’s first flight Fall 2024 this vehicle will carry a payload to 10,000 ft right here in West Lafayette Indiana. This rocket design, called Theseus, will be used to fly more rocket launches throughout the 2024-2025 school year.
Additionally, this year design will start on a two stage rocket that will build on the Theseus Architecture. This airframe will go through a preliminary and critical design review during the 2024-2025 school year.
Theseus Airframe with Section View
Payload Bay for Icarus Alpha carrying AAE student payload
In addition to building custom airframes our Icarus team also includes two specialized projects.
Our Propulsion team is hard at work this year to design, cast, and test a solid rocket motor that will fly in the Theseus airframe. This involves heavy collaboration with Purdue’s own Zucrow Laboratories.
Propulsion Team Members casting propellant at Purdue University’s Zucrow Labs
Our Guidance, Navigation, & Control team is working to downsize their Zephyrus 6-DoF attitude control demonstrator to become flight ready in the future. This will involve mechanical redesign to downscale the current prototype.
GNC’s Zephyrus Demonstrator Prototype
Hapsis
Higher, Faster, Further is the persistent pursuit of the Hapsis team. This team utilizes commercial components in an innovative balloon-launched rocket mission concept to chase altitude records. Due to the lower atmospheric density at higher altitudes, our architectures will be able to reach greater heights with smaller rockets by using high altitude balloons.
Rocket Balloon Air-launch Concept
This year our team had the incredible opportunity to visit Friends of Amateur Rocketry in the Mojave Desert in California to attempt our first ever rocket balloon launch called Hapsis I. And while that mission did not go as planned we learned more about how to prepare for our future missions.
This year the Hapsis team is focusing on an even larger and more exiting mission, Hapsis II. This mission will include a larger rocket and balloon, looking to finally gain altitude from the decreased air density. Additionally new developments in our launch structure and avionics will have to be made.