USW ROCKETRY SOCIETY
WHAT IS THE ROCKETRY SOCIETY?
The rocketry society works with students who volunteer to take part in designing, propelling, monitoring and constructing rockets from scratch.
Underlayed by mechanical, electronical and engineering techniques, the society gives students who study such subjects, and students who simply have an interest in rockets and space, the chance to gain hands-on experience in the many different skillsets utilised by the UK space industry.
WHAT WE'VE WORKED ON
Since it's foundation in November 2018, the rocketry society has designed, built, launched and successfully recovered 3 rockets, reaching 3,000ft - alongside winning the National Rocketry Championship 2018/19 - a huge achievement!
The work of our students, combined with the guidance of industry leading lecturers who volunteer within the society, has streamlined our projects, so much so that we have entered the National Rocketry Championship and our project came out in first place. Founding in November 2018 and winning the championships in the April 2019 is a huge achievement and we have big plans to continue this growth.
National Rocketry Championship Winners 2018/19
A big congratulations to our team who came first place in the National Rocketry Championship 2018/19.
Our rocket was called 'The Element' and reached an altitude of 909m on a 2-grain Cessaroni G126 ‘White Thunder’ motor.
The rocket featured 3D printed fin-can and integrated payload of a Pnut altimeter within the nose cone to enable a shorter and lighter body tube for the rocket, reducing weight and adding stability.
ROCKETRY SOCIETY TEAMS
The society is split into teams, giving everybody the chance to focus their skills on a particular facet of the project. However, due to the very nature of the society, you will work closely with each team and have natural cross over, all working together to make the project a success.
Our students work in teams to design the rocket, undertake/conduct research and development, manage the payload and electronics and more recently, we have introduced a publicity and outreach team to assist in promoting the work that USW Rocketry Society are doing.
STRUCTURAL
- Structural Design
- Design Concepts
- Design Testing
PROPULSION
- Controlling the fire pace (both at the start, during and at the end of the rocket's journey)
- Controlling the various elements of the motors
PAYLOAD
- Sensors (such as UV)
- Cameras
- Humidity
- Parachutes
- Potential returning system
ELECTRONICS
- Ground control
- Launching sequence
- Returning systems
- Maintaining communication with the rocket during flight
- Surveillance
- Tracking and reporting
- Remote control
Future Projects
With the help of The Centre for Automotive and Power Systems Engineering (CAPSE), we have secured a rocket testing facility in Merthyr Tydfil to carry out rocket launches and explosions. The USW Rocketry Society have exciting plans to launch a rocket reaching over 6,000ft.
Some of our long term plans include:
- Launch rockets reaching 9,000 to 12,000 feet
- Acquire a new space lab facility
- Invest in state-of-the-art testing facilities
- Release publications outlining our research and capabilities
- Integrate our work with student projects
- Attain grant applications and funds from professional bodies
How can I get involved?
If you're interested in pursuing a career in engineering or want to gain real world planning, managing and delivering skills to help showcase your technical abilities then involving yourself in the USW Rocketry Society will help prepare you for the graduate market, giving you practical and soft skills that can be applied in the industry giving you an edge in the competitive graduate market.
Anyone with an interest in Engineering and Rockets is welcome to join the USW Rocketry Society, no matter what course you’re studying.
Feel free to contact Leshan Uggalla for further information.
MEET THE TEAM: PAST AND PRESENT
James Robinson
James worked as the Lead Systems and Design engineer for USW Rocketry society in 2018/19. This involved leading the structural team for the National Rocketry Competition and gathering information from the team to design and tweak the rocket and delegating design and construction tasks to his fellow team members.
Professor Paul Harrison
Professor Paul Harrison initially funded the research and activity that the Rocketry society conducts. Paul has an undergraduate degree in Physics, a PhD in computational physics and a University Research Fellowship from the University of Leeds. He has recently become Pro Vice-Chancellor for Innovation for the University and was previously Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science.
Dr Philip Charlesworth
Dr Philip Charlesworth has a keen academic interest in rocketry technology and safety and over 20 years of experience of successfully designing, building and launching amateur rockets. In 2006 he founded Wales’ only amateur rocketry group, organising monthly launch meetings for fellow enthusiasts and is actively involved in research to improve rocket performance and safety. He’s also very active in promoting rocketry as a STEM subject in schools across the UK.
