Collaboration and Timeline With: EPFL Rocket Team Date: May 2018 Duration: 12 months The Flaps Module is a controlled airbrake mechanism for the Matterhorn Rocket which can substitute the Shuriken model, proving here the modularity given to our different systems. The Flaps Module has 3 big braking areas coming out of the rocket thanks...
The Countdown Company decided to participate to the latest’s NASA Tournament Lab-HeroX, Exploring Hell. The competition consisted of proposing a preliminary design of a system sensing obstacles in front of a Venusian Exploration Rover. The Venusian environment required the team to abandon many well known solutions since the temperature are around 450°C and the...
During our time at EPFL Rocket Team, Eric worked on our custom 3D flight trajectories simulator for our rocket launches. Taking in account the mass, fuel, aerodynamic geometry, air pressure, temperature, wind, launchpad tilt, this simulator helped us on some critical dimensioning of our rockets. Coded in Matlab, this simulator is also used to...
The reefing technology consists of actively controlling the opening of the parachute. In the case of the Matterhorn Rocket, such a technology permits to directly deploy the main parachute at apogee but only fully inflate at low altitude. This way, with a single parachute, a high descent rate is maintained from 3’000m to 300m...
This project represents the beginning of our collaboration. It is the story of a student team from the EPFL who wanted to become one of the pioneer European university to participate to the Spaceport America Cup. The objective of this challenge is to design, manufacture, pack, ship across the Atlantic, integrate and launch a...
Tight deadline, complex system integration, electro-mechanical system with a potential space application: right in The Countdown Company’s sweet spot! The 2020 EPFL Rocket Team required a system to hold their main parachute during the first phase of the descent which is controlled by a drogue chute. At low altitude, this same system shall release...
The Flaps Module is a controlled airbrake mechanism for the Matterhorn Rocket which can substitute the Shuriken model, proving here the modularity given to our different systems. The Flaps Module has 3 big braking areas coming out of the rocket thanks to a combination of a motorized worm drive and mobile rods. The mechanism...
The Shuriken is a controlled airbrake mechanism for the Matterhorn Rocket. It plays a core role in the strategy to reach the precise altitude of 3’000m despite the uncertainties of the engine’s total impulse. Indeed, the idea was to select a motor ensuring an overshoot of the targeted height and to actively use the...
During their free time at ISAE-Supaero, Eric and Emilien worked on a suborbital rocket hybrid engine. The Griffon engine is capable of lifting 20 of payload up to 3000 . Griffon engine uses 3D printed ABS as fuel and hydrogen peroxide as oxidizer. A third element, considered as an inert gas, is used...