Mechanical Design

The design of the experiment is almost exclusively done by the students. On specific matters such as paraglider design or composite manufacturing, the team is supported by experts from the industry. 

The design of the experiment entails very different challenges associated with the different stages of the experiment timeline. The storage and ejection of the FFUs require a sophisticated ejection system that meets the safety requirements of the organizers. For re-entry, the novel detumbling system needs to withstand large forces while maintaining a small footprint and complying with requirements from other subsystems such as radio transparency.

The large majority of the experiment is manufactured in-house by the team. The team uses different workshops with access to 3-axis CNC, lathing and manual milling, laser cutting as well as additive manufacturing capabilities.

For special components, the team is collaborating with experts from the industry such as Niviuk one of the world's leading designers and manufacturers of paragliders.

Manufacturing