Founded in 2018, we are the UMSATS Rocketry division, an interdisciplinary team of undergraduate and graduate students dedicated to designing and building a 10,000 ft target apogee sounding rocket. Each design cycle, we compete in both the Spaceport America Cup (SAC) & Launch Canada Challenge (LCC). Following many successful launches, we are currently hard at work on the next iteration of our sounding rocket.
Competitions
Spaceport America Cup (SAC) is an international competition where teams from around the world come together to launch sounding rockets and carry out experimental missions. Combining elements of an academic conference with a design-build-fly competition, SAC is a unique event that showcases innovation and collaboration. Hosted at a world-class spaceport facility, it attracts ambitious students, academic experts, and industry leaders from across the globe.
Launch Canada Challenge (LCC) is Canada’s very own intercollegiate rocket engineering competition. LCC’s mission is to advance the science, engineering, and business of rocketry in Canada, while providing students with impactful hands-on learning experiences. By bringing together Canada’s growing student rocketry community with academia, industry, and government, LCC aims to unlock students’ innovative potential, showcase Canadian excellence, and foster international collaboration in the aerospace field.
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. This team is 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 subsystem is responsible for collecting flight data and controlling in-flight events, such as separation and parachute deployments. It consists of two redundant flight computers, an onboard GPS, and many other unique projects. These projects can range from custom-made computers to live video transmission.
Propulsion
The Propulsion subsystem is responsible for generating the necessary force to propel the rocket to its target apogee. This team applies principles of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics to determine the required impulse and select the most efficient propulsion method. Currently, the Propulsion team is developing an innovative hybrid propulsion system that combines solid fuel with a liquid oxidizer.
Recovery
The Recovery subsystem is responsible for ensuring the safe and accurate landing of the rocket after launch. This team designs and implements two custom-built parachutes, carefully timing their deployment to control the rocket's descent and landing. To achieve this, the Recovery subsystem also manages the separation of the rocket's sections, utilizing an electronically fired powder charge mechanism to trigger parachute deployment at the optimal moment.
Payload
The Payload team is responsible for the development and implementation of the rocket's alternative objective. Competing in their own competitions at both SAC and LCC, the Payload team uses a combination of scientific research and engineering to develop and create almost any idea. This team is unique in a sense that it seeks to develop something completely novel. Currently, the Payload team is looking into investigating the effects of rocket flight on mimicked blood vessels.
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.
Flight Dynamics
The flight dynamics team is responsible for determining the rocket’s flight stability and maximum vertical distance (apogee). To achieve this, the flight dynamics team conducts flight simulations under various weather conditions. Additionally, the team oversees final motor selection and designs key aerodynamic components - the nose cone and fins.
Photo Gallery
Meet the Team
Project Manager / Payload Co-Lead
Taylor Stevens /
taylor.stevens@umsats.ca
Payload Co-Lead
Tavleen Kainth /
tavleen.kainth@umsats.ca
Avionics Co-Lead
Ian Anderson /
ian.anderson@umsats.ca
Avionics Co-Lead
Summer Talon /
summer.talon@umsats.ca
Recovery Lead
Julia Ryznar /
julia.ryznar@umsats.ca
Propulsion Co-Lead
Amol Sidhu /
amol@umsats.ca
Propulsion Co-Lead
Carson Gilbert /
carson.gilbert@umsats.ca
Flight Dynamics Lead
Marcelo Aza Farje /
pedro.marcelo@umsats.ca
Operations Lead
Jayden Matthews /
jayden.matthews@umsats.ca
Airframe Lead
Sean Koenig /
sean.koenig@umsats.ca