Unfortunately, during the third (and final) launch day, the electronics functioned nominally but the main engine valve actuator was frozen in place due to a nitrous oxide leak. This in turn caused an engine misfire resulting in an aborted launch. At DARE we would like to thank everybody for the kind words and support that we have received throughout…
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As many of you have read or seen our story on social media or on the Livestream, today the launch of the Stratos II rocket was planned. The day started very early. All teammembers set their alarm at 5:30 so that we could start the final rocket assembly early and have the possibility to launch in…
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The Hungarian Institute for Energy Research (EK) is providing a small radiation measurement system to measure radiation levels in the higher layers of the atmosphere. The cosmic radiation field is not well known up to the altitude of the lower orbiting spacecrafts. Since the frequency of manned space flights is increasing faster nowadays than before…
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Last night has been a very stressful night for the engineers of Stratos II. The capsule team stayed up until 4:00 in the morning to perform final integration of the electronics inside the capsule section. Luckily the other engineers who did have a good night sleep made a delicious breakfast to start the day well.…
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A rocket, more so than other vehicles, is subject to extensive safety requirements and procedures. In part two of this technical blogpost we will discuss how safety considerations determine the countdown and flight of Stratos II. A certain trajectory Stratos II is an unmanned vehicle, as such it could just deploy its parachute on a…
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Radboud University of Nijmegen (RUN) is providing a payload for the Stratos II rocket. The experiment is initially aimed to observe ionospheric radio emission and man-made RFI, but would be further investigated for space radio interferometry. Moreover, the antenna on-board Stratos II will be used for an interferometric measurement to determine the location of the…
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With only one day left until the launch, today was supposed to be a very stressful day. After a tasty breakfast with bacon and eggs, the team started very early this morning to get all the subsystems ready for integration into the rocket. However, at about 10:00 (CEST) the management of the Stratos II project decided to have…
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Rockets need space, not only for flying but also for landing. For small rockets this is not a big problem as a common field is sufficient to accommodate an area large enough. However, for launching a rocket at the scale of Stratos II finding a field big enough becomes a big deal. El Arenosilio provides a predefined…
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The Stratos II Team is getting excited with only 2 days to go until launch. The weather at the launch site INTA located near Huelva in Spain is looking very promising. The temperature is not too hot in the morning, which is essential for the launch. The rocket motor stays cool. That is why we…
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A rocket, more so than other vehicles, is part of elaborate safety requirements and procedures. In part one of this blogpost we will discuss how safety considerations determine the lay-out of the Stratos II rocket and ground equipment. Pre-launch phases Since Stratos II is a hybrid rocket that will only be loaded with oxidizer when…
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