Karman Space Programme

We are launching Vega, our first fully-reusable liquid rocket. Mojave Desert, CA, USA. Stay tuned 👀

Receipt 🧾 In case you missed the news, KSP has an engine🌵

𝗞𝗦𝗣 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗨𝗞 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 On February 5, we successfully hot-fire tested our new liquid-bipropellant rocket engine at Airborne Engineering’s historic J1 test site. We demonstrated 𝟳.𝟭𝗸𝗡 of continuous thrust in the engine’s flight configuration. Named Cactus🌵—after the resilient plant found in the Mojave Desert—this engine runs on Cryogenic Liquid Oxygen and Isopropanol: high-performance green propellants. In less than a year, the engine was crafted by a small team of 4 people. The thrust chamber is fully regeneratively cooled, additively manufactured from Inconel 718, and was designed from the ground up for full and rapid reusability. After conducting 4 tests totaling 18 seconds of nominal full-thrust firing, this test campaign fully qualifies the Cactus Engine for flight on Vega, our first fully-reusable liquid rocket mission scheduled for later this year. Our teams are currently reviewing the millions of data points that were generated to better understand the engine’s behaviour, the thermal performance of the regenerative cooling system, in addition to tuning our startup sequence and validating our mechanical, fluid, and thermal models. This milestone was only possible with the support of our additive manufacturing partner @nikonslmsolutions , in addition to Aalberts surface technologies, @accucomponents , @rsdesignspark , @swagelok , and @rapiddirect . Thank you to the Fellows at the @icahackspace for their countless hours of invaluable technical advice, and their support for student projects with industry-grade manufacturing facilities. Stay tuned for a closer look at Cactus very soon!

Announcing the Karman Space Programme AI Lab, a dedicated research and development hub focused on developing proprietary AI tools to advance our launch vehicle design process. The research lab will focus on building high-fidelity digital twins and generative design tools for aerospace structures. We will combine solid mechanics, simulation, hardware in the loop testing, and machine learning to design lighter, safer and more optimised hardware. The tools will be tested on VEGA and developed further for production use on AURORA. We are looking for the brightest minds to join any of our 3 lab domains: Machine Learning & Generative Algorithms Computational Engineering & Simulation Embedded Systems & Sensor Instrumentation Read more and apply on our website, link in bio.

Our VEGA rocket now consists of over 5000 components, building a rocket is stressful and that is why we trust @accucomponents ⚙️🚀 ✅ Rapid next-day delivery ✅ High quality fasteners that don’t strip ✅ A large amount of choice, always in stock ✅ CAD models and full technical specs for every part Fasteners are the silent heroes in engineering, @accucomponents supplies us with the highest quality to keep our rocket together.🏆

🚨🚨RECRUITMENT IS OPEN🚨🚨 We are looking for talented individuals to join us on our mission to becoming the first student led team in the world to reach the Karman Line and outer space.🚀🪐 We are launching our test flight VEGA, a 7 meter tall-LOX-IPA-reusable rocket, this December…👀⏳ Roles are open for: Airframe Propulsion Avionics (Hardware) Avionics (Software) Marketing & Business Operations Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and open to all London-based students. Apply now through our website, link in bio!

🚀 Last Friday, we had the honour of welcoming Dr. Ali Baghdadi — a Fortune 100 CEO, long-time friend and sponsor of the Karman Space Programme to our Imperial College London, South Kensington campus.
 With an MSc and PhD in Computing from Imperial, Dr. Baghdadi has built an extraordinary career driving innovation across IT, Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence. He has built a group of companies operating across the globe in the USA, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia that all aim to contribute to creating positive change in the world. It was while Dr Baghdadi was at Imperial when he founded his very first company, Aptec, which was later acquired by Ingram Micro, a Fortune 100 company where he now serves as Senior Vice President & CEO of the META region. Dr. Baghdadi met the team and saw our pathfinder rocket, VEGA, for the first time. It was a privilege to showcase some of the engineering that has been done by our members over the past two years. His visit left everyone deeply inspired and motivated as we move towards our final integrated test campaign before shipment to the United States later this year. Cybral, an AI and Cybersecurity company, founded by Dr Baghdadi has already played a crucial role in KSP’s success to date in progressing towards our ultimate goal of becoming the first ever student group to send a reusable rocket past the Karman Line and into outer space. 🌌 In this new era of AI, KSP is exploring innovative ways to integrate AI into our launch vehicle design process to drive sustainable space exploration. Cybral and Dr Baghdadi will continue to play a pivotal role in developing and testing new AI-driven technologies to advance launch vehicle development — first with VEGA, and later scaled on our upcoming AURORA spaceshot rocket which will enter development next month. Stay tuned, many exciting updates coming…👀 #KarmanSpaceProgramme #AliBaghdadi #Aptec #Cybral #Innovation #Rocketry #Aerospace #ImperialCollegeLondon #STEM #SpaceExploration #Leadership #VEGA

🚀VEGA PROGRESS UPDATE 🚀 Vehicle assembly is in full swing — and the countdown is on. ⏳ This week: First integrated cold flow testing at Imperial Vega is shaping up to be Europe’s largest and most advanced fully-reusable student-built liquid rocket. With 25 days until testing, the team is moving fast with final component manufacture, vehicle integration, and rigorous system-level testing. From CNC machining and waterjet cutting to precision carbon fibre layups, here’s a look at our latest progress.🔥 Thank you to the support of our incredible partners driving this mission forward: @entangl_ai @nikonslmsolutions @accucomponents @icahackspace @onewebofficial_ru @swagelok @we.are.dewesoft @rapiddirect @rsdesignspark @aalbertssurfacepolymer Percepio Sift Herose #MissionVega #RoadToFAR

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗞𝗦𝗣’𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 (𝗠𝗩𝗔) Designed and manufactured by our Propulsion and Avionics teams, this assembly enables reliable, precise, and nimble propellant management on board 𝘝𝘦𝘨𝘢, our first liquid rocket. 🚀 The actuator is designed to power several valve types (from our partner @swagelok ), including those which manage cryogenic Liquid Oxygen ❄️ and high pressure (300+ Bar) Nitrogen gas. It is also designed to meet the system requirements for 𝘈𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘢, our upcoming flagship spaceshot mission. Features: - Up to 28Nm of torque delivered to the valve stem, powered by the @revrobotics NEO550 motor and @gobilda planetary gearbox - Open Loop and Closed Loop control modes, unlocking precise pressure regulation of our propellants - Redundant position sensors - Cryogenic versions will include additional insulation and surface heaters to ensure all drivetrain components remain within acceptable tempratures We are conducting extensive actuations tests at pressure and cryogenic temperatures, in addition to vibrational testing, in preparation for flight. Thank you to our partner @accucomponents for supplying the fasteners for this assembly on very short notice (from ordering to our door in 18 hours)! Stay tuned for more updates on Vega’s components and systems, as the vehicle enters integration next month. 🚀🌵

It’s not every day you get to go on a private jet! 🛩 Last week, we were invited to Gulfstream for a unique glimpse into the world of private aviation 😱. It was fascinating to hear from the team and gain deep insights into their operations. Thank you to Gulfstream for the ✨unforgettable✨experience! . . . #gulfstream @gulfstreamaero #ksp #space #aviation #rocketry #imperialcollegelondon @imperialcollege #aerospace #engineer #engineering #karmanline #europe #planes #computerscience

O R I O N 🚀🚀🚀 Our flagship mission of 2023 🤩

A Day in the Life of an Avionics Software Engineer at KSP 💿🔋🚀 - - - #dayinthelife #rocketry #sensors #software #sensorsoftware #engineer #engineering #electronics #karmanspaceprogramme #science #stem #imperialcollege #london #reels