“fewer parts is equal to a smaller possibility of failure”
The aerostructures team is responsible for designing and developing the body of the sounding rocket. Their main objective is to ensure that the rocket meets both structural and aerodynamic requirements. This entails creating a robust and durable body that can withstand the harsh conditions of space travel and atmospheric reentry. At the same time, the team must also consider the rocket's aerodynamic performance, ensuring that it can efficiently navigate through the atmosphere and achieve its desired trajectory. By carefully balancing these factors, the aerostructures team plays a crucial role in the overall success of the rocket mission. This is one of the largest teams since it is responsible for:
The beating heart of the project, the aerostructures team interfaces with all other teams and works parallel to them to achieve an efficient engineering process.
The Aerostructures team is responsible for overseeing the complete development and implementation process. This role offers the opportunity to acquire various skills, including dimensioning implementation both on paper and through FEM analysis, organizing machining processes, and utilizing CAD software. The work performed by the structures team is unique in nature. It involves a multi-phase approach, starting with a general overview that encompasses all the launcher systems. In the second phase, the team delves into the specifics of each system's sub-elements. Lastly, there is a final phase of backward checks to ensure accuracy. The most used tools by the aerostructures team are:
