With great proud we announce that our subteam DAWN won the main UniversiteitsFonds teamwork prize! DAWN was awarded the prize for their efforts in designing the hybrid engine which is to power the Stratos II rocket. The team spent the last three years designing, building and validating various hybrid test engines. Virtually all work was performed in the free time of the team members and on a tight budget. These efforts are now cumulating in the upcoming hot fire tests of the massive 200.000 Ns Aurora engine which is to be the final flight model engine.

In total 15 student team applied for the UfD teamwork prize, which was this year sponsored by IHC Merwede. Team ATMOS which is developing an unmanned aerial vehicle and the Vertical Cities Asia team shared a common second and third prize.

DAWN team photo during UfD team prize award ceremony

Last Saturday, members of DARE’s liquid propulsion team have successfully conducted a first series of tests of a liquid fuel rocket engine. Between 1PM and 2PM, two so called hot fire tests were performed of the DEIMOS rocket engine. The DEIMOS rocket engine is fueled using liquid ethane and liquid nitrous oxide. This propellant combination is relatively easy in use and has many different applications ranging from being a test bed for new technologies to satellite thrusters.

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During the long weekend over Ascension Day (17 – 20 may) the hybrid propulsion team (Project Dawn) successfully launched “Morning Star”, the first ever hybrid-propelled rocket within DARE at the Model Rocket Flight Days (RJD 2012) in Roitzschjora, Germany.

This technology demonstration flight marks a milestone for project Dawn and was the final step in showing that the team is capable of designing, manufacturing, testing and flying a hybrid rocket engine.

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