Students from the University of Sheffield’s Faculty of Engineering have soared to success after winning a national rocket competition.
The group, which is called Project SunrIde (Sheffield University Nova Rocket Innovative Design Engineering) have beaten 27 teams from across the UK in a competition run by the UK’s National Student Space Society (UKSEDS).
The group already hold the National Open Altitude record in the UK and are yet to be beaten.
Fifth-year chemical and biological engineering student, Paulina Adzgauskaite, said that “we wanted to create a lightweight, aerodynamic structure. The 3D printers in the iForge enabled us to manufacture the parts that were both lightweight and rigid.”
The Sheffield students designed and built the rocket, which is called SunrIde Jr. Jr, out of cardboard, wood and 3D printed materials.
The group has been working on the rocket since October 2020, at first remotely and then in the iForge makerspace in the Diamond at the University of Sheffield once COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
The aim of the competition was for the rocket to reach the greatest apogee (the highest point in the trajectory of the rocket) and all teams had to use a certain motor in order to ensure fairplay.
The rocket was first launched on 27th June 2021 on a site in Cambridge and reached an apogee of 4836ft.
Senior Lecturer in Control Systems and Systems Engineering and academic supervisor of SunrIde, Viktor Fedun said: “Taking part in this competition enabled the students to learn more about the exciting engineering principles behind rockets, whilst also gaining hands-on experience in building and manufacturing.
Overcoming the challenges of the pandemic is an incredible achievement and one they should be very proud of. We hope to build on this success even further at next year’s competition!”