Rocketry

Building upon UMSATS’ years of success and experience building satellites, we expanded in 2018 with the formation of a rocketry division.

The Rocketry Team designs and builds sounding rockets which are launched in New Mexico every summer for the Spaceport America Cup.

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2019 Spaceport America Cup

UMRT (University of Manitoba Rocket Team) is UMSATS’ newest endeavor, with 2018-2019 marking our first year designing and launching a sounding rocket and scientific payload at the Spaceport America Cup competition. This international competition provides a chance for students to launch their rockets and conduct their experimental mission. UMRT gives students the opportunity to have hands-on experience with cutting-edge space travel technologies.

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Subsystems

Airframe

The airframe subsystem is responsible for the physical structure of the rocket. This consists of the nosecone, carbon fiber tubing, and fiberglass fins that form the rocket body. The airframe team is also responsible for mounting the interior components of the rocket and protecting them from launch loads. They are currently investigating an air brake system to accurately control the apogee of the rocket, as well as manufacturing carbon fiber in house.

Avionics

The avionics team is responsible for commanding and controlling in-flight events, such as igniting the motor, activating the payload, and deploying the parachutes. It consists of two redundant flight computers, as well as a power distribution system and onboard GPS transceiver. It is affectionately termed the "brains of the rocket".

Propulsion

The propulsion team uses fluid and thermodynamics to determine and provide the necessary force to propel the rocket to its apogee. In the past, this has consisted of performing simulations to determine the required impulse and selecting an appropriate commercial solid motor. The propulsion team is currently developing a hybrid system that will combine a solid fuel with a liquid oxidizer to produce the necessary force.

Recovery

The recovery system is responsible for landing landing the rocket after its launch. It uses a two in-house designed parachutes, timing the deployment of each to ensure that the rocket lands both accurately and safely. The recovery system is also responsible for separating the sections of the rocket to deploy the parachutes, using an electronically fired powder charge system.

Payload

The flight dynamics subsystem is a new addition to the rocketry team. Their job is to perform simulations to investigate flight stability of the rocket as well as its aerodynamic performance. This helps the rest of the team determine the component placement within the rocket as well as selecting an appropriate motor or propellant.

Mission Operations

The mission operations team is responsible for all other necessary work to keep the rocket project moving. In the past, this has included building a rocket transport crate and a mobile ground station, as well as organizing the trips to competition. Future projects are focused on improving radio communications between the rocket and ground station.