Thomas Britting

Delft University of Technology | TU · Faculty of Aerospace Engineering (AE)

The Stratos III and IV missions of Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering (DARE) are sounding rockets that aimed to reach altitudes between 60-100 km altitude. In order to recover the payload sections of the Stratos III and IV rockets, a two-stage recovery system was designed, containing a drogue parachute to stabilise and decelerate the vehicle. The d...

Retrieval systems are a vital part of sounding rocket missions. Even if the mission is completely successful, the failure in the retrieval subsystem can lead to the payload not being found back and thus a mission failure. This paper describes several retrieval strategies ranging from simple systems to highly complicated highly reliable systems. Sev...

The primary objective of the Supersonic Parachute Experiment Aboard REXUS (SPEAR) was to fly and collect in-flight data of a Hemisflo ribbon parachute at supersonic conditions. In November 2022, the SPEAR vehicle was successfully launched on top of the REXUS 28 sounding rocket from Esrange in Sweden. Shortly after the REXUS 28 apogee at 96 km, the...

Parachute testing is available in numerous shapes and forms, with each method being suitable for different applications. This paper aims to provide an overview of the various testing methods and to discuss the advantages and disadvantages they bring. The paper first identifies the relevant parameters for parachute tests and matches these to the var...

The Large Envelope Advanced Parachute System (LEAPS) is developed as a means of recovering the flight data to prove that a student-built sounding rocket, Stratos IV, has reached space. Several design modifications are outlined in this work. The drogue parachute is deployed using a hot gas deployment system to save mass and volume and to increase re...

The paper discusses the lessons learnt during the SPEAR mission that takes part in the 12th cycle of the Rocket EXperiment for University Students (REXUS) sounding rocket programme. The mission originated after Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering (DARE) designed a supersonic-capable drogue parachute and was unable to test it supersonically on the ex...

Various parachute-type decelerators can be considered in the design of a sounding rocket recovery system. During the development of various flagship missions of Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering (DARE), the Parachute Research Group of DARE has developed several methods and criteria to select the right parachutes for a given mission. This paper pre...

In the previous years, the Parachute Research Group (PRG) of Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering (DARE) has been relying mainly on cruciform, ribbon, or disk-gap-band parachutes for the retrieval of its capsules and smaller sounding rockets. However, heading towards a more sustainable future, with the prospect of full rocket recovery and reusability...

Parachute testing is available in numerous shapes and forms, while each of them is suitable for different applications. This paper aims to provide an overview of the various testing methods and discuss the advantages and disadvantages they bring. The paper first identifies the relevant parameters for parachute tests and matches these to the various...

Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering, DARE, is a society with the goal of reaching space with a student-built sounding rocket. The latest iteration, Stratos IV, is designed with this goal in mind. To prove Stratos IV reached space, the flight data needs to be safely retrieved. The Parachute Research Group (PRG) of DARE developed the Large Envelope Ad...

The Supersonic Parachute Experiment Aboard REXUS (SPEAR) is an experiment flown on the REXUS28 sounding rocket as part of the REXUS/BEXUS program. The REXUS cycle lasts 1.5 years, giving the mission a strict timeline. The SPEAR mission aims to test the behaviour of the in-house developed Hemisflo ribbon drogue parachute at supersonic conditions. To...

You can find the full presentation at: https://collegerama.tudelft.nl/Mediasite/Showcase/public-ae/Presentation/24d07391977d463b99c9122d882578bd1d/Desktop The goal: To gain a deeper understanding of the origins of our Solar System and the conditions for life by studying the workings and composition of the Saturnian System.

Stratos III is a rocketry project led by students from Delft University of Technology. The goal of this project is to reclaim the European student altitude record for a sounding rocket, which is currently set at 32.3 km. The flight data of this rocket has to be retrieved to definitively prove the altitude at apogee. As not all data is sent down and...