Analysis

The Analysis team supports the Karman Series, Experimental Series and Sunfire teams with engineering analysis. This team is led by Ethan Edmunds, who has been a part of the team since April 2023.

Analysis engineers act as ‘consultants’ to other teams, working in areas related but not limited to:
– Aerodynamic fin design and optimisation;
– Structural analysis;
– Structural vibration analysis;
– Combustion analysis;
– Heat and mass transfer.

Avionics

The Avionics team is responsible for the research, development & operation of avionics systems for multiple Sunride rockets. This team is led by Brandon Sharkey and Sam Scott.

Avionics are electronic control systems that are responsible for critical operations during a rocket’s flight, including motor ignition, stage separation and GPS tracking. The Avionics team has been working on MRAS, Armadillo, Llama.

MRAS is an altimeter and deployment system that is smaller and better than the current outdated commercial systems for amateur rocketry with a easy to understand user interface.

Armadillo is a remote arming board to replace the currently used screw switches that arm the deployment charges. It is safer to use than a screw switch and can be connected to and armed over WiFi.

LLAMA is a multi-functional control, actuation and data acquisition device for enabling the testing, firing, and launching of liquid-fuel rocket engines.

Experimental Series

The Experimental Series team carry out smaller-scale testing of the various subsystems on our larger rockets. This team is led by Emma Bladen and Jessica Jayakumar.

All Experimental Series rockets are launched at Midlands Rocketry Club, so members of this team attend multiple rocket launches throughout the year.

Karman Series

The Karman Series team is designing and building the successor to Karman Alpha, Karman Bravo. This team is led by Ash Shaw, who has worked on the Avionics team, the Experimental Series team, and was the Karman Alpha design lead last year.

Directly building upon the lessons learnt from Karman Alpha, Bravo is set to reach an altitude of 115,000 feet at a speed of MACH 3. It is a two-stage rocket built for reliability, reusability, and speed which is set for launch on the 15th June 2024 at FAR in California.

Marketing

The Marketing team handles all of Sunride’s social media and sources exposure. This team is led by Stephen Lin.

The marketing team built this current active website and completed the documentary, ‘Karman Alpha: Twelve Feet Under’, which was released May 2024. Throughout the year they also released over 30+ varieties of rocket posters for our members.

Recovery

The Recovery team ensures the safe retrieval of all Sunride rockets, working on parachute design, deployment systems, and tracking systems. This team is led by Edward George.

We work on a variety of recovery systems for future rockets. The team’s range of expertise spans across electronics, systems control, CAD design, and even machine sewing!

This year, the Recovery team is developing a steerable parachute system that allows a rocket to guide itself back to a GPS location. This will be implemented in the rocket, Boomerang, which will be launched in the Mach-24 competition.

Sunfire Engine

The Sunfire Engine team will be designing Sunfire III, a bi-propellant liquid-fuelled engine. This team is led by Dominic Callister as well as Oliver Dew, who is the Chief Engineer for the Sunfire project.

Members of the Sunfire Engine team are involved with setting up and conducting cold and hot-fire tests at Airborne Engineering Ltd. The team reviews the test data collected and diagnose any issues that arose during the tests so that a flight optimised version of the Sunfire III engine can be incorporated into Desert Winds, which will be launched in July 2024.

Sunfire Feed

The Sunfire Feed team develops the feed system for the Sunfire III engine. This team is led by Abdulrahman Hasan and Sam Beaumont as well as Oliver Dew, who is the Chief Engineer for the Sunfire project.

The feed system designed will be the same one to fly on the first Sunfire rocket, Desert Winds, which will be launched on 15th June 2024 at FAR in California. The team are also developing a test stand to enable us to test engines within the university, meaning faster and cheaper development of rocket engines.

Secondary Roles

Secondary roles are a way for specific tasks to be delegated to a few project members in each subteam. This spreads workflow around and increases the team’s efficiency.

Finance

As each subteam is responsible for their spending, the subteam’s finance coordinator must keep their sheets up to date. They process and document orders on the master finance spreadsheet. The project’s finance leads meet with university staff, who give updates on the progress of Sunride’s budget and orders. This is led by Tom Danvers and Fintan Cluskey.

Fusion Police

Fusion police make sure that Fusion360 designs are up to standard, assemblies are in order and every single part is designed for manufacture. They also offer advice on Fusion360 and run workshops for new members and those who want to strengthen their CAD skills.

Safety Officer

The safety officer is in charge of making sure we uphold a very safe working environment within Sunride. This includes writing risk assessments, and also making sure that each member of their subteam remains within safe working practices. This is led by Merlin Reeves-Dyer.

Sponsorship Outreach

Sponsorship outreach members take the time to email companies of interest to their subteam to offer marketing benefits in return for what the subteam is in need of. This could include key components for the project, software, funding and mentorship. They have the opportunity to make industry connections and gain experience in the economical sector of the industry. This is led by Alyssa Parris and Felix Wright.

Systems

Systems officers are in charge of documentation upkeep. They promote and establish the workflow and make sure that our parts list remains well up to date with technical drawings made and up to standard. This is led by Madi Menzies.

Technician

Technicians look after the workshop and provide their subteam with advice on manufacturing. They keep inventory of our workshop space and make sure that everything is running smoothly there. This is led by Merlin Reeves-Dyer.