Space Technologies and Rocketry (STAR), UC Berkeley's first and only high-powered rocketry team, was formed in the spring of 2016. We aim to work with other clubs on campus to create and nurture a community of students from a variety of backgrounds who are interested in aerospace, either professionally or as a hobby.
In our first year, we competed at NASA Student Launch, a nationwide competition in which universities launch rockets of their own design to a height of one mile, and perform a payload experiment during flight. We designed and built two rockets which we launched a total of five times - the subscale URSA Minor, and its bigger sibling URSA Major, a 9-foot behemoth packing an L-class solid motor. URSA Major was launched successfully at Student Launch, which was held near the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL during the first week of April 2017.
Over the next few years, our team plans to expand its horizons considerably. This summer, we will begin development on two new projects - a liquid bipropellant engine and a custom flight computer. In addition to Student Launch, we hope to compete at the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) hosted by ESRA this year. Rockets flown at IREC reach heights of up to 30,000 feet, which is considerably more challenging than Student Launch.
Ultimately, as we refine our designs and manufacturing processes, we hope to be the first college rocketry team to launch a rocket into space, reaching altitudes of over 100 km (62 mi).
The cost associated with these projects is our biggest limiting factor. Our Student Launch project cost us $18,234.91, between parts, manufacturing, and travel, and we expect this cost to nearly double as we take on new projects. In order to realize our dreams, we need your support. Any contribution is appreciated!
In our first year, we competed at NASA Student Launch, a nationwide competition in which universities launch rockets of their own design to a height of one mile, and perform a payload experiment during flight. We designed and built two rockets which we launched a total of five times - the subscale URSA Minor, and its bigger sibling URSA Major, a 9-foot behemoth packing an L-class solid motor. URSA Major was launched successfully at Student Launch, which was held near the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL during the first week of April 2017.
Over the next few years, our team plans to expand its horizons considerably. This summer, we will begin development on two new projects - a liquid bipropellant engine and a custom flight computer. In addition to Student Launch, we hope to compete at the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) hosted by ESRA this year. Rockets flown at IREC reach heights of up to 30,000 feet, which is considerably more challenging than Student Launch.
Ultimately, as we refine our designs and manufacturing processes, we hope to be the first college rocketry team to launch a rocket into space, reaching altitudes of over 100 km (62 mi).
The cost associated with these projects is our biggest limiting factor. Our Student Launch project cost us $18,234.91, between parts, manufacturing, and travel, and we expect this cost to nearly double as we take on new projects. In order to realize our dreams, we need your support. Any contribution is appreciated!
Organizer and beneficiary
Ilyas Kamil
Beneficiary