Hello Aisler Community,
We are Space Team Aachen, an association of aerospace-enthusiastic students from RWTH and FH Aachen in Germany. Our mission is to push the boundaries of student rocketry and bring advanced space technology to our city. We are incredibly excited to share our progress on one of our most ambitious endeavors yet: the Hopper Project.
The Hopper Project: A Leap Towards Reusability
Our goal with the Hopper Project is to build a reusable vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle. Standing at 5 meters tall, it is set to become Europe’s largest student-built rocket hopper. The vehicle is designed to perform low-altitude flights and is capable of hovering for up to 60 seconds. At the heart of this rocket is our custom-developed bi-liquid rocket engine.
Developing a reusable rocket powered by a complex bi-liquid engine requires an immense amount of precision, control, and highly reliable electronics. As a student team working with a limited budget and a highly aggressive timeline, we needed a manufacturing partner capable of keeping up with our rapid iteration cycles without compromising on quality. This is where Aisler’s critical support came into play.
The Avionics Challenge: Controlling the Rocket
To make the Hopper fly, hover, and land safely, we designed a custom suite of circuit boards to handle everything from sensor data to flight communications. Our electronics team needed an architecture robust enough to survive intense vibrations and thermal loads, while remaining highly compact. Thanks to Aisler’s rapid PCB production, we were able to quickly test our designs, identify areas for improvement, and iterate incredibly fast.
The Valve Board: Precision and Control
One of the most essential components of our avionics stack especially for our upcoming engine hotfire tests is our custom Valve Board.
To achieve this, we engineered the Valve Board with the following core capabilities:
- Massive Solenoid Control: The board is capable of driving up to 24 individual solenoid valves simultaneously, giving us complete and granular authority over the rocket’s fluid systems.
- Innovative Failure Detection: We integrated a feature that performs precise, high-speed current measurements on the fly. This allows our flight computer to instantly detect anomalous valve behavior, blockages, or electrical failures in real-time.
- Microcontroller & Communication: Powered by an STM32 microcontroller, the board features a fully isolated CAN bus transceiver.
Looking Ahead
As we prepare for our major hotfire campaigns and first hover flights, the sturdiness and reliability of Aisler’s PCBs give us the peace of mind to focus purely on making our 5-meter rocket fly.
Thank you, Aisler, for your outstanding support, fast manufacturing, and high-quality boards. You are empowering the next generation of aerospace engineers to turn highly ambitious ideas into reality!
Ad astra ex Aachen, Space Team Aachen