EPFL Rocket Team

Founded in October 2016, the EPFL Rocket Team is composed of 200 students from diverse world-renowned universities in Switzerland and aims to design and build rockets. that focuses on designing and building rocket technology for international competitions. The team is made up of passionate students from various fields, including engineering, physics, and computer science. They are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of rocket technology and inspiring the next generation of space enthusiasts.

One of the current projects, Nordend, consists of the team's entry in this year's European University Rocket Competition, EUROC. The team has seen significant success in their time competing, consistently placing as top finishers in the competition and winning it in 2021. The competition challenged the team to design, build, and launch a rocket that could reach a specific altitude and carry a payload. Despite fierce competition, the team demonstrated their skills and determination, earning recognition for our achievements.

Looking forward, the team is eager to continue their success in future competitions and inspire more students to pursue their passion for space technology. They are committed to fostering a community of innovation and collaboration, where students from all backgrounds can come together to tackle the challenges of the space industry.

This 25 minutes video is a behind the scene recap of our unforgettable experience at the 2021 edition of EuRoc. 

One part of the projct that uses PCBs extensively is the Avionics department: The payload’s avionics are composed of two distinct PCBs circuits, a power delivery circuit, and a computing unit circuit.

1. Power delivery unit

Its role is to manage and deliver the power from the Li-battery cells to the system and it is operated through a rotative switch with three distinct positions that is rated for high vibrations uses. It operates in three distinct modes: Off, power delivery (On) and Charge. The charge mode allows the payload’s battery to be charged using a USB-C port, without having to dismantle the entire structure to do so.

2. Computing circuit

This circuit board has a Raspberry Pi 4 Computing unit, includes two ports for the cameras, two ports for driving the LEDs, an SD card reader, an Accelerometer ADXL345, a Barometer BMP390, and a buzzer for audible signals. It allows for the capture of two 1080p, 60fps, video streams from a pair of Raspberry Pi-cam v2.1.

The team would greatly benefit from the support of PCBWay. As a team dedicated to designing and building rockets for international competitions, we face challenges in sourcing and manufacturing parts within our budget and timeline. Quick prototyping capabilities would allow us to provide valuable design experience and feedback to more members of our team, enabling them to expand their skills and knowledge for not just one project, but all of our ongoing endeavors, including Hyperion, where experienced students are developing a fully in-house bi-liquid engine that will be later on integrated in our competition rocket to fully realize our goal of getting to space before 2027. as well as Project Icarus, a research project aiming to develop advanced navigation and control technologies for our rocket, of which a prototype is shown below.

PCBWay's support would enable us to develop more efficient and effective rocket technology and inspire the next generation of space enthusiasts. We are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with PCBWay and achieve our goals through their support.