Propulsion
The propulsion subteams primary aim is to develop and test the NOVA-2 engine. This is the engine that is to be used in both the Jackalope and Ignis rockets. It is a regeneratively cooled engine burning liquid oxygen (LOX) and ethanol, it is capable of variable thrust and a burn time of up to 90 seconds. The engine should produce around 1.2 kN of thrust, this means that weight plays a key role in the design and flight of the rocket. To achieve this thrust, the Propulsion team lead has decided to implement a pressure fed system with a chamber pressure of 20 bars and tank pressure of 40 bars. The NOVA-2 engine is still frequently being tested and developed, the team is learning directly from the earlier NOVA-1 prototype. Propulsion functions as the core around which the rest of the vehicle is designed, since every decision ultimately has to accommodate the engine at its center.
Structure
The Structure team is responsible for the frame of the rocket, crucially its weight which dictates most of the structural design choices. This is an incredibly difficult task due to the complex network of tubes, pipes, valves, pumps, and regulators that must be managed to safely complete the precarious task of delivering liquid oxygen and ethanol into the combustion chamber. By using simulations of the flight path, the structure team is able to understand the response of the frame to the violent stresses induced by flight and the engine, playing a role in the design of the rocket. Secondly, recovery is another key area of the structure teams work, specifically the parachute ejection system which will play a key role in retrieving IGNIS after its flight safely without damaging it. Most recently, the structure team has completed testing of a new valve assembly, the pressurizer system and manufactured the carbon fiber fins assembly.
Avionics/Electronics
Avionics and Electronics are two seperate subteams. Avionics work is centered around Jackalope while Electronics works for IGNIS. Both teams are responsible for developing all the software and electrical components for gathering data in flight as well as on the ground while testing and after recovery. Avionics is focused on the sensors and computing hardware that let a vehicle understand its own state in flight and relay that information back to the ground, complementing the control algorithms developed by GNC. Within the team, Avionics turns physical measurements into the data streams that the Jackalope depends on. The flight computer is the most critical area that Electronics and Avionics work on, including the code base it uses . Most recently, Avionics have implemented a new state estimator and designed a new FPG system. While Electronics has been engaged in testing a new pyrotechnic board, an upgraded acquisition board and a servo activation board.
Guidance Navigation and Control
