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The main aim of this course is to learn the processes required to design, build, launch and control a subsonic, solid fuel powered rocket. The methodologies developed will also have application to sub-orbital and orbital rockets including liquid fuel propulsion. The control part will focus on canard actuation and will utilize an existing vertical wind tunnel platform on campus for testing the control methodologies before flight. Students will work in pairs in their fields of expertise to contribute to the main group goal of a launch ready rocket. The individual tasks assigned for each pair of students will include rocket airframe design, propulsion, actuation hardware/software, aerodynamics, launch safety protocols, sensors/instrumentation including hardware-in-the loop, telemetry, control algorithms, trajectory simulation and parachute recovery. Students will decide what areas they’d like to work on, but everyone will gain a general knowledge of rocketry through the labs, tutorials, lectures and assignment.
CurriculumFour week lecture seriesLectures 1 – Introduction to the rocket industry and future plans for manned space missionsLectures 2-4 – Introduction to orbital mechanics, non-circular orbits, gravity assist, Artemis missions, docking and interplanetary maneuvers, Earth to Mars.Lecture 5 – Spacecraft and launch vehicles, fuel sizing, Orion Propulsion for Artemis missions, rocket staging, SLS. Lecture 6 – Readiness review: NASA Procedural Requirements, life-cycle and technical requirements, application to small rocket launch. Lectures 7-8 – Systems engineering applied to SLS vehicle including engine iterations, life cycle schedule and requirements analysis.Lectures 9-10 – SLS Test program including avionics and software, flight control, integrated testing, launch platform/tower, SLS flight modelsLectures 11-12 – Gateway Lunar Space Station, capstone and space navigation including geosynchronous orbits, space coordinate systems, time systems, star navigation, lunar orbit characteristics, 3 body problem and lagrange points. Guest Lectures – There will be a number of guest lectures from Rocket Lab, Kea Aerospace, Argo-Navis aerospace, SpaceOpsNZ, covering aerodynamics, propulsion and engine design, rocket avionics and control as well as opportunities for entering the NZ space industry.
At the end of this course, the student will:1. Independently and within a group dynamic apply Engineering system design principles to complex design problems constrained by the requirement of flight-ready hardware.2. Gain experience with design and development methods and systems employed by the space industry.3. Prepare appropriately detailed and understandable aerospace technical documents including health and safety and rocket launch procedures4. Clearly convey technical information orally in a practical inspection to space industry experts and UC staff and teaching assistants.5. Novel product design, applying project management and market consideration elements to the orbital rocket industry.
Subject to approval of the Head of Department
Christopher Hann
Tim Atkins (TriVector Services, US)
Ashish Tewari; Atmospheric and Space Flight Dynamics ; Birkhauser Boston, 2007.
Hull, David G; Fundamentals of airplane flight mechanics ; Springer, 2007.
Sutton, George Paul. , Biblarz, Oscar; Rocket propulsion elements ; 8th ed; Wiley, 2010.
Further course reading available at:• www.aerotech-rocketry.com/resources
Domestic fee $1,197.00
International fee $6,000.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
Maximum enrolment is 20
For further information see Electrical and Computer Engineering .