According to the team, two factors led to victory: the self-made hybrid engine and the gentle fall back to earth. The construction of the engine from liquid oxidizing agent and solid fuel was complicated, but it enabled greater precision at the height reached – that was decisive for the match. And the mechanical parachute system, which was also developed in-house, meant that the rocket landed in good condition – also a competitive advantage.
The Bella Lui II rocket from the Lausanne team rose to an altitude of 3,167 meters. Two parachutes in the colors of the Swiss flag, sewn by the students themselves, ensured a soft landing. That brought the “Hybrid 3km Flight Award” for the category victory as well as the overall victory.
The EPFL Rocket Team, founded in 2016, now consists of around 200 EPFL students and has a budget of several hundred thousand Swiss francs. During the semester, the team members design projects that are counted as course work. «This year we offered 47 projects for EPFL students. That’s hundreds of credits, ”says Mathieu Udriot, a microtechnology student and one of the team’s coordinators.
The team members have decided to focus only on European competitions. Therefore, next year the team will no longer participate in the Spaceport America Cup – an event in New Mexico with more than 150 teams. EPFL students want to focus on the European aerospace industry because it is much more accessible to them than the US, which is only allowed to hire US citizens due to government restrictions.
The Lausanne rocket designers are not resting on their laurels: an improved liquid engine and a rocket that can reach supersonic speeds are the other goals.