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Today was the first successful flight of the Illustria rocket from the CTU Space Research student team.
On 5 May 2024, the first successful launch of the Illustria rocket, designed by students from the CTU Space Research team based at the Czech Technical University in Prague, took place. The launch took place at Bezno Airport near Mladá Boleslav.
After many months of preparation and testing, the team is ready for the first test flight. After a morning briefing and preparation of the launch pad and rocket, all team members moved to a safe distance of approximately 300 m from the launch pad to the control centre. Around 13:00, everything was set up and the launch instruction was given.
Unfortunately, after the first readout there was no ignition. After three more unsuccessful attempts and after five minutes had elapsed, the team's pyrotechnician approached the rocket and detected a malfunction in the burner. After a quick change and clearing of the safety zone, a second launch attempt was made.
On the second attempt, everything went smoothly and Illustria took to the air. After reaching an altitude of 873 m, the tip of the rocket opened and the braking parachute deployed. Unfortunately, the main parachute did not open during the descent. However, even the small parachute was sufficient for a safe descent and the rocket landed intact.
In addition to the flight itself, the audiovisual equipment for video documentation of the event and its online broadcast was also tested. We gained important insights for the upcoming competitions.
The flight was above expectations and it is a great success for the whole team. A big thank you to CTU in Prague and all partners without whom this test flight could not have been realized.
Together to the stars!
Rocket Illustria
Height of rocket: 2 450 mm
Průměr rakery: 161 mm
Engine: Medusa
Fuel type: rocket candy
Apogee: 873 m
Time of flight: 75 s
Maximum speed: 135 m/s
Maximum acceleration: 100 m/s2
Descent on parachute: 14 m/s
Landing without damage
Download photos and videos of the Illustria launch here.
CTU Space Research is the first university team in the Czech Republic to develop rockets and other space engineering components. It was founded in 2021 at the Faculty of Engineering of CTU in Prague and by the end of the year it became a university-wide team of CTU. The main and now fulfilled vision of the team was to create a facility for students who want to pursue space projects and develop their practical skills during their studies.
The team consists of more than 50 students from various disciplines, mostly from the Czech Technical University in Prague. Their activities have been supported since their foundation by academic and industrial partners involved in development and production.
With this support, the team was able to reach an altitude of 32,600 metres with the Stratosat project, in which the team successfully tested advanced avionics in the stratosphere. In 2023, the team participated in the prestigious international EuRoC competition in Portugal, where it was awarded third place in the hybrid category. The biggest milestone so far was in 2024, when the team celebrated the first successful launch with an Ilustria rocket in the Czech Republic.
In addition to its own projects, the team participates in events for the general public to inspire younger generations to study engineering and explore space.
Jindřich Bouška
PR Lead
pr@spaceresearch.cvut.cz
