STERN – A Rocket programme for German Students

Kurzfassung

In April 2012 the German Aerospace Center DLR, launched a support programme for students to develop, build and launch their own rockets. The programme goes by the acronym STERN (STudentische Experimental-RaketeN) which is also the German word for star. Supported by funds from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and conducted by the DLR Space Administration of the German Aerospace Center DLR, the STERN programme provides aerospace engineering faculties at universities with opportunities to introduce students realistically to subjects related to space transport. During the project duration of three years the soon-to-be engineers will develop their own rockets. There are no limits regarding peak altitude or the propulsion system used (solid fuel, liquid fuel, steam or hybrid). The rockets should have a small telemetry system to transmit key trajectory and housekeeping data back to Earth during flight and provide information to the students including the rocket altitude. In order to teach students engineering and science and to put their technical knowledge to the test as early as possible in their studies, there are no altitude restrictions except the normal range restrictions. The students will be integrated into courses which already deal with various aspects of rocket technology. In addition to the design of the engine, project activities will focus primarily on the rocket system as a whole, which, because of its complexity, demands interdisciplinary thinking and teamwork. As in a large aerospace technology project, or the development of a new launch system, future graduates will have to meet milestones that specify both timing and technical progress. It is also necessary that they have to attend various reviews to present and explain their design to an expert audience which carefully reviews their proposals and work. The students will be invited to test the engines they have built at the DLR test centre in Lampoldshausen, Germany. At the end of the project, the result should be a flight capable rocket. Some of the rockets will be launched from the Esrange Space Center at Kiruna, in Sweden, where the European altitude record of 12.6 kilometres for an amateur rocket was set. To break this record and fly even higher could be a long-term objective of the DLR programme during its planned three-year duration – offering universities a long-term prospect for training a new generation of researchers, particularly in the area of astronautics. DLR MORABA (Mobile Rocket Base), the DLR Space Propulsion Institute, and the DLR Space Administration are a major part of the Review-Board until flight. With a large number of sounding rocket launches, DLR's MORABA has acquired total system competence when it comes to assessing the structural integrity, flight behaviour, or flight performance of a rocket and makes access to Esrange possible. The DLR Space Propulsion Institute at Lampoldshausen has decades of experience in research and testing of rocket engines, especially those belonging to the European Ariane programme that was launched in the 1970s. The centre conducts both applied and fundamental research in the field of rocket propulsion systems. This paper will give an overview on the activities of DLR in supporting the student teams to succeed in their aim of a successful flight of their own rocket. It will give an outlook on the ideas of the already selected teams and will also explain the differences to other student projects such as REXUS/BEXUS.