The CanSat challenge is analogous to the American Astronautical Society’s international CanSat competition. This challenge is to design, build, and fly a payload capable of releasing from a canister once reaching a set height and descending by methods such as aerobrake, autogyro, or parachute. Included is an electrical subsystem and software subsystem which records and transmits environmental telemetry to a ground station.

Key Challenge Concepts:

• • Aerospace payload design

  • Composite manufacturing

  • Sensor subsystem design

  • PCB design & assembly

  • Embedded software design

  • GUI design

The 2-month rocketry program guides mentees through designing, and building an L2-class rocket powered by a K550 motor. Participants will create an aerobraking system electronic tracking and data logging, and a protective capsule - all built to with stand speeds in excess of 500 MPH!

Mentees will learn:

• Design of mission critical electronic and software systems

• Schematic and Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design

• Mechanical design using CAD software like Autodesk Inventor and OnShape.

• Debugging of embedded systems

• How to iterate on and improve designs

The Two Month Rover Challenge is a hands-on competition where you and your team will design, build, and control a robotic arm. Mounted to ASTRA’s Testbed platform, you will take on real-world tasks inspired by the University Rover Challenge! Throughout this challenge, you'll gain skills in mechanical design, prototyping, electronics, programming, and systems integration — all critical skills for building fully-operational systems. This challenge is the perfect intro to the design and problem-solving skills needed to work on ASTRA’s internationally competitive rover team. 

Single Engine Aircraft or SEA is an exciting but difficult project where mentees will come together to design, construct, and fly their own R/C aircraft. The project will be split into three main parts:

• Aircraft Design

• Avionics Design

• Radio and Ground Station Design

By completing the challenge, mentees will learn the basics of mechanical, electrical, and software engineering to get a head start on their peers

Welcome to Stratosat – A hands on mission where you and your team will design, engineer, and launch a payload to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere, nearing 30km! Your mission is divided into four specialized systems, each critical to the success of the flight:

• Pneumatics: Engineer a compressed air stabilization system by designing and testing custom nozzles to counteract rotation.

• Electrical: Develop and solder the core circuits that collect sensor data and activate flight critical mechanisms.

• Software: Write autonomous flight code to gather data and stabilize the payload during ascent.

• Mechanical: Design a support structure and housing that can survive impact and altitude.