Specialist Node > UWA Aerospace

Despite the absence of an aerospace facility in Western Australia, the team continues to conduct high level aerospace research and development. In 2020 they published a paper in the International Astronautical Congress discussing the development of a microgravity research platform. This opensource platform can carry a 2kg 2U Cubesat payload to 10 km to experience 11 s of microgravity in freefall for less than 300 USD.

In 2022 the team published a paper in the IAC with further research into this area and a full scale implementation of the newly developed EMU 2 With high level computational techniques to ensure the durability and efficiency of EMU 2 the inverted rocket demonstrated that a solution to high cost space research in the microgravity platform is possible. In addition to the published research paper and the construction and testing of the fuselage, two members travelled to France, sponsored by the ISC, to present their research findings at the globally recognised conference, bringing their research to the international stage.

The team has begun high level computational fluid dynamics modelling of their rockets and conducted research on the aerodynamic behaviour of different air brake designs They hope to host many more thesis research projects in the coming years, which are a compulsory component for all engineering students.

UWA Aerospace is constantly developing custom avionics and recovery components for their rockets Some of their current projects include a GPS guided parachute system, and creating a custom radio to ensure constant communication with their rockets All designs are explained in various competition related technical reports which are available upon request.

Since 2018 the team has created seven team rockets which have launched 12 times. In addition to this, many team members have made their own rockets through the UA 8-week certification program, bringing the total rocket count to over 28.

In 2018 the team created Jeff and later Finley to compete in the Australian University Rocket Competition in the 10 000ft COTS category. Following the competition in 2019 they took the opportunity to develop their recovery skills through QAD – their first rocket to successfully use a dual break, and a  dual-deploy parachute system. In the same year they created Echidna, their first rocket to travel at a supersonic velocity of over Mach 15,
and reach an altitude of more than 5 km. Next came Shoey, their most reliable rocket with four consecutive launches and no failures.

2020 saw a decrease in launches due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic but the team was still able to launch Aang twice. This was their first attempt at using air brakes to decelerate a rocket to ensure it reaches a target altitude. In 2021 the team created Cooker, which is their largest rocket to date. Cooker is simulated to reach 10,000ft altitude on a M1290 motor and has a total mass of more than 15kg, including a 5kg payload design. They placed third for their  technical report submission in the 2021 Virtual Spaceport America Cup. In 2022 the main focus was on the full scale implementation and construction of EMU 2.0. A 400 ft drop test attempt of EMU 2.0 was undertaken on the UWA Farm in Ridgefield. In addition, importance was placed on the development of individual members’ skills and knowledge about engineering, by asking members to complete a Tripoli Certification. This year, eight Level 1 Certifications and one Level 2 Certifications were achieved.