A group of students from the Federal School of Technology in Lausanne have achieved something unprecedented in Europe: landing a reusable rocket, marking a new achievement in space exploration by engineering trainees. This project is led by the Gruyère Space Program (GSP), which began in 2018 with the mission of creating a small reusable demonstrator called Colibrí.
Controlled flight and landing of the Colibri rocket
On October 18, GSP proudly announced the success of the test flight, where the Colibri rocket ascended 105 meters and completed a controlled landing back to the launch pad. This flight lasted 60 seconds, with a horizontal trajectory of 30 meters before returning precisely to its starting point.
[post_relacionado]The rocket is powered by an F-100 bipropellant engine , which was designed by the students themselves. This engine generates 1.2 kN of thrust and the entire project was completed on a budget of less than 250,000 Swiss francs , demonstrating the ability and creativity of these young engineers.
Watch the Hummingbird take off and land successfully! Source: GSP Gruyère Space Program
Colibri technology powers PAVE Space
GSP President Jérémy Marciacq explained that one of the main goals of the project was to demonstrate that students could develop advanced space technology , competing on the same level as private companies and space agencies. Although the Colibrí project has reached its goal, the team is already looking to the future with the creation of the startup PAVE Space, which hopes to offer mobility solutions and satellite services in the coming years.
PAVE Space plans to leverage Colibri rocket technology to deliver advanced mobility engineering and hopes to be providing life extension services to geostationary satellites by 2030, a solution increasingly needed in the space sector .
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Source and photo: Gruyère Space Program