Team WikiSat

The purpose of the launcher is to inject a tiny satellite in 250 km LEO orbit to meet the N-Prize rules. See the idea here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ10gl6D7b0

Our fifth balloon launch was this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfwwKAkbGlI

and DAEDALUS info you can have here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnaD9l5tx6c

Two balloon launch was a crazy one but worked. That was the largest ever seen balloon launch I never launched.

Every month we launch a high altitude balloon. Next will be 9th July in Zaragoza as usual. If we succeed, you will have a report.

Less than 100 days for the end of the N-Prize!!!

Best,
Joshua

Hi all,

Last Saturday we have got another high altitude balloon launch (Number 08). The intention was to test two recovery methods and to launch the second stage of the WikiLauncher.

We have got an APRS radio link and an IRIDIUM satellite based communications attached to the balloon ramp. APRS failed in the landing but IRIDIUM worked well.

The onboard computer failed to activate the second stage ignition so we recovered the rocket together with the launch ramp and the rest of the balloon. The burst was at 33 km of altitude (108,000 ft) thus launching point should be at 32 km (105,000 ft) so we have validated the balloon as well.

See this nice youtube video about the 8th flight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jkup7zGpBI

Thanks to Pere Renom & Kari (TV3), Javier Perez (IDeTIC) and Juan Martínez (UPC) for they help.

Best,
Joshua Tristancho

Awesome! So you did a rockoon launch? How did it go other than the second stage did not fire? Did I hear that correctly? You recovered a rocket after launch and the balloon? I did not understand the whole thing. Congratulations!
Much more details please! way to go WikiSat!

Monroe

Hi Monroe,

Thanks for the encourage!

Onboard computer GPS failed. Ignition was scheduled at 32 km but stage 2 never flew so it remained inside the balloon launch ramp.

See more details in our blog:

http://www.wikisat.org/?p=507

Let's keep the good job!

Joshua Tristancho

Oh! I see what was the problem do you know? Was it that the GPS did not send a fire signal to the rocket? Or did your ignition fail?
Our system uses the GPS signal to fire the rocket from a bee line 2 meter gps/aprs tracker with a special "bee sting" and programing from Big Red Bee.

We are under burn bans all over Texas and it is holding up our progress currently. Man you almost did it! Can you fix the problem?

Monroe

Oh yeah, whats the Iridium communications? I'm not understanding that.

Monroe

Iridium is Lockheed's global satellite data service.

Yeah, but how was that implemented for this type of launch? They have a satellite phone service was that being used?

Monroe

No! we don't use the phone service any more. Our model of IRIDIUM works as a GPS global beacon.

See more details in the MAKING OF:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4xrqKnIQVg

It scares how the launcher failled due to the igniter was disconnected from the onboard computer. We were so closer! Sorry, talking is in Catalan or spanish...

Next time, the better.
Joshua

Yes! Good deal Josh, I'm glad you found the problem! Did you test your igniters in vacuum? They don't work well a lot of them. Rocketflite Magnalite igniters do work we know that. Good luck on your next mission.

Monroe

Sure!
They work in vacuum and in space, that was not the problem. The problem was the igniter connector because are reused from an old computer; they are pin jumpers. I forgot to glue it all. It was my fault but never again. Tomorrow we will do the same test but on ground to validate all these things. I will prepare a video.

BTW, I want to introduce you to Clarissa Yuan. See this flutter study done by her. She work hard as any in WikiSat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmtI-cp0FUc

My best!
Joshua

Hi there,
We have permission for our Launch10 high altitude balloon tentative in order to achieve the space on December 17th:

http://code.google.com/p/moon-20/wiki/W ... n_Launch10

Also we have scheduled the Launch11 in order to validate some CubeSat components:

http://code.google.com/p/moon-20/wiki/W ... n_Launch11

Best,
Joshua

Joshua,

That sounds great! Do you have any details on the propulsion you are using for the two stage rocket. Is it using the "Coke Zero" motors? How much impulse to you get out of those motors?

Dave

EDIT: I looked at the link in the "How's it going?" thread, and it does appear that you are using the Coke Zero motors for your space launch. Have you ground-tested or simulated this rocket. It doesn't seem like it would be able to reach space (100km) even if launched from 30km. In any case, it will be a great achievement if you can launch this from a balloon. Good luck!

Joshua,
Were you able to fly? Any info?
Rick

Hi DaveHein,

We tried to measure the thrust using a weighing scale but we have not succeeded any time. We have made some simulations and the Stage2 thrust should be less than 20 kilograms of thrust (Between 209 and 35 Newtons in vaccuum depending on burn speed that we don't know yet). We are developing the nozzle:
http://code.google.com/p/moon-20/wiki/W ... _subsystem


Simulations said that apogee will be between 377 and 506 km depending on burn speed (From 1 to 6 mm/s) assuming a lift off at 32 km from the balloon and a payload of 20 grams. The dry to mass ratio is 23% and spin stabilization method.

You can see each of the burns in our YouTube channel:
http://code.google.com/p/moon-20/wiki/W ... ement_Plan


Enjoy it!
Joshua