Terminus
Sounding Rocket Research
Sounding Rocket Research
NASA RockSat-X 2027 — JUPITER Bus and CALLISTO Experiment
Addyson Swoner
NASA RockSat-X
JUPITER Bus & CALLISTO Experiment
The next experiment Terminus will deliver has just been named: CALLISTO! The team will be working towards its internal PDR in August.
The results from the project's previous cycle have yielded new ideas for the JUPITER bus, which is seeing a new iteration full of practical improvements.
The CALLISTO experiment will explore how objects in space around spacecraft can be observed and tracked using deployable picosatellites.
The next generations of the GUARD experiment, GUARD III and E-GUARD, will also be flying as Terminus continues to research the effects of ambient in-space radiation on human spaceflight.
NASA Wallops runs a yearly university program to allow students to design, build, and fly a sounding rocket payload. It is a selective program with schools around the country.
Conceptual experiment ideas are submitted in September, and design reviews with the NASA team are conducted about once a month. Teams are selected for spots in December and fly the next June.
For more information, view their website:
NASA RockSat Program
NASA RockSat-X 2026 — JUPITER Bus and ELARA Experiment
Carter Stevens
NASA RockSat-X
JUPITER Bus & ELARA Experiment
Terminus developed and flew its fourth spacecraft experiment, ELARA, as part of NASA's RockSat-X 2026 program. The mission launched June 24, 2026 from NASA Wallops Flight Facility and continued the development of Terminus' reusable spacecraft bus, JUPITER, previously flown on the ADRASTEA and AMALTHEA missions.
The primary ELARA experiment investigated the feasibility of an in-space two-node interferometry array for future radio astronomy applications. This technology demonstration explored concepts that could enable future distributed spacecraft sensing systems.
Supporting experiments included InfraTracker and GUARD II. InfraTracker continued research into the effectiveness of near-infrared and visible star trackers, while GUARD II expanded previous biological research by investigating the effects of ambient in-space radiation on systems relevant to human spaceflight.
Flight Results:
ELARA successfully launched on June 24th. The ascent and
experiment deployment sequence operated nominally; however, the
mission experienced a non-nominal reentry event. Final flight
results and analysis are available through the mission archive.
Mission Resources:
ELARA Research Horizons Day Poster
GUARD II Research Horizons Day Poster
ELARA Before and After Launch Documentation
NASA RockSat-X 2025 — JUPITER Bus and AMALTHEA Experiment
Maria Chytka
NASA RockSat-X
JUPITER Bus & AMALTHEA Experiment
Terminus flew its third spacecraft, AMALTHEA, as part of NASA's RockSat-X 2025 program. The mission launched August 12, 2025 from NASA Wallops Flight Facility and featured the second flight of Terminus' reusable spacecraft bus, JUPITER.
The AMALTHEA payload housed two primary experiments: ICARUS and GUARD. ICARUS is a 1.5U CubeSat-like deployable platform designed to study in-space and atmospheric re-entry power generation using both solar energy and heat generated through re-entry drag.
GUARD flew biological samples of E. coli and P. aeruginosa to investigate the effects of short-term space exposure on bacteria.
During this development cycle, Terminus also created InfraTracker, an additional experiment investigating the effectiveness of near-infrared and visible star trackers for spacecraft navigation.
Mission Resources:
Flight Results — IAC Published Paper
Pre-flight University Article
NASA Pre-flight Article
Finalized Payload Pre-launch Documentation
RockSat-X 2024 — JUPITER Bus and ADRASTEA Mission
Ben Campbell
NASA RockSat-X
JUPITER Bus & ADRASTEA Experiment
Terminus flew its second spacecraft, ADRASTEA, on August 13, 2024 from NASA Wallops Flight Facility. The mission served as the first demonstration flight of Terminus' reusable spacecraft bus, JUPITER, and showcased experimental technologies associated with CubeSats and small space payload deployments.
The ADRASTEA mission established core design principles that were carried forward into its successor mission, AMALTHEA. These concepts support future goals including the deployment of a CubeSat-based re-entry vehicle capable of generating power through re-entry heating, along with supporting two secondary experiments.
Flight results from the ADRASTEA mission have been published through AIAA's SciTech Forum. Additional mission videos, including development footage, launch coverage, and interviews, are available through the mission media archive.
Mission Resources:
Flight Results — AIAA SciTech Forum Paper
Mission Video Playlist
Pre-flight University Article
NASA Launch Stream
Launch Day Interview
Full Development Montage
RockOn 2022 — Deck 32
Ben Campbell
NASA RockOn
Suborbital Payload
Terminus is one of the newest project teams in SHC with one lofty goal: getting back to space! Participating in a variety of programs and launch opportunities, Terminus members build payloads to be launched on rockets, giving students the opportunity to build, integrate, and fly their own space hardware.
Payloads developed within Terminus are designed for missions ranging from suborbital spaceflight to future lunar exploration opportunities.
