Brand new TU/e student team sets out to transform space industry

The space industry faces a major challenge. Traditional rockets are usually single-use and end up at the bottom of the ocean somewhere after their mission. This makes space travel expensive and not environmentally friendly. The brand new student team VOID at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is determined to change this. The team, founded in August 2023, unveiled a mini version of their to-be-build rocket last Friday. Co-founder and board member Kaspars Veveris: “The space industry is conservative, and we are going to change that.”

It’s not yet a large-scale, shiny rocket that the students of Team VOID have built, but they are well on their way. During their reveal event, they showcased the Tapeti: a mini version of the rocket. This is a so-called “hopper” with a propeller instead of a rocket motor. “This prototype allows us to test all of our control algorithms and validate design decisions before moving forward with the 'real rocket'”, Veveris says.

Although VOID is still a young student team, their ambition reaches for the stars. What began with just eight members has grown in a year to a team of 27 driven students, from 13 different countries. Together they are working toward one shared goal: to completely transform the space industry. 

This is much needed. One of the biggest obstacles is that most rockets can only be used once. This means that a completely new rocket must be built after each launch, which is both time-consuming and costly. In addition, the current practice of disposable rockets is far from environmentally friendly. There are at least 263 space objects in the Pacific Ocean.

Team VOID, on the other hand, is taking a different tack and designing reusable rockets. This is similar to what companies like SpaceX are doing. “But we show that the space sector is not just for big industrial market leaders. Students can also make a big contribution,” Veveris said.

Space industry leaders

During the event, space industry leaders were invited to share their work. Chigo Okonkwo, an associate professor at TU Eindhoven, spoke about his research at the Eindhoven Hendrik Casimir Institute (EHCI) on 'free-space optical communication'—a technique that uses light beams for communication. He collaborates with TNO and Aircision to tackle the challenges of atmospheric turbulence. Sonny Lie, Business Manager Space at NLR, highlighted NLR’s contributions to the space industry, including prototype development, testing, and certification in partnership with universities and industry partners. NLR has supported projects like the BRIK-II satellite, contributing to its design and testing before the successful launch in 2021.

Students of team VOID during their reveal event

Getting to the bottom of the technology

After these presentations, the students provided a detailed overview of their own technology. They explained that their efforts are currently centered around three main projects. The first: Project Ignis. “We will also launch this during the EuRoC competition in Portugal later this year, where teams from all over Europe are competing to solve challenges around rocket technology.”

It is a so-called bi-liquid rocket, powered by liquid oxygen and ethanol. The rocket is about three meters high and will be launched in Portugal to an altitude of three kilometers. “The goal is to understand the technology behind it so we can work on more complex projects in the future. We want to learn everything from what goes right and what goes wrong,” Veveris said. The team also wants to attract funding and sponsors with this project.

This type of rocket was a deliberate choice. With solid fuels, reuse is not possible; once a solid fuel engine is burned, it cannot be reused and is simply discarded. Bi-liquid rockets, on the other hand, are actually designed to be reused.

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Vertical takeoff and landing

The second project is called Project Jackalope, which includes a side project as well, the Tapeti that the students recently showcased. Jackalope is a rocket booster designed to take off vertically and land vertically again. The rocket will rise, hover at altitude, move sideways, perform various maneuvers, and then land where it came from. “It's an ambitious plan, for sure. But we're confident we can do it.”

What is special about this rocket's technology compared to the first one is that the Jackalope rocket has active control. It is equipped with a thrust vector control system, which means that the rocket motor can be moved to direct thrust in different directions. Thus, the rocket's position can be accurately controlled during flight.

According to Veveris, these types of subprojects are essential. After all, thousands of parts, ideas, and calculations must come together to achieve a successful rocket launch. “There is a lot of math involved. Moreover, sometimes it seems like there is no solution to a problem at all, but if you think about it for a long time, an idea suddenly comes to mind. That happens to me regularly when I'm lying in bed,” he says, smiling.

A promising future ahead

There is not much time to rest, however. By the end of this year, the students aim to reach two milestones. First, the Tapeti demonstrator must be launched. “We want to conduct some test flights and share images of them on YouTube and other social media, so we can show what we are working on.” Second, the rocket motor, which will power the Ignis rocket, will still be tested this year. “K3D, a 3D printing service company, has already 3D printed this engine for us.” 

Finally, within a few years, it will then be time for the moment supreme: launching the Jackalope, the flagship rocket. "And that has to happen before most of us graduate. So there is work to be done."