Rocksat-X 2024: Daedalus II

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 The mission of Daedalus II is to simplify and optimize our robotic assembly to allow for high precision and repeatability in our system. This includes the addition of an object ejector to enable the objects to have highly predictable trajectories. As my senior design project, I am currently leading a team of engineering students through the design of our payload in preparation for launch in August 2024. With initial prototypes and subsystem level testing completed, our next step is to perform integrated subsystem testing to verify the design of our system.

3D model and animation

Created by: Jonathan Herberger, 9-23-23

This year I am working to design a new element for our payload as my senior design project. The Electromagnetic Ball Ejection Rig (EMBER) is a modular system designed to precisely and repeatedly eject objects in microgravity. The system is currently undergoing subsystem testing with integrated testing to begin soon.

Our team is more motivated than ever to capture video of our payload functioning in space. As such, we will be using two brand-new camera systems to capture footage of the experiment operating in space.

After the partial success of Rocksat- X 2021-22, Project Daedalus aimed to improve upon the previous year's project and pave the way for new technologies in aerospace. With 7 degrees of freedom and enough torque to work in both one G and microgravity, Project Daedalus is the most advanced Rocksat payload ever created by NNU. Project Daedalus was launched in August 2023, but due to an anomaly during the second stage ascent of NASA's Terrier-Improved Malemute Rocket, our payload, along with four other schools, crash-landed on the beach and were completely destroyed on impact. Although this was an extremely disappointing outcome, the lessons learned and the experience gained during the design of this payload is infinitely more valuable than any data we would have received from a successful flight.

3D model and animation

Created by: Jonathan Herberger, 3-22-23

We design, assemble, test, and redesign as fast as we can so that we can learn from our mistakes and work to improve them as quickly as possible. This is the ninth full redesign of the mechanical system this year alone.

With approximately one cubic foot of space to work with, there is no off-the-shelf robotic arm capable of fulfilling all mission objectives while remaining in the necessary compact profile: so we designed our own.

On August 11, 2022, I had the privilege of seeing Rocksat-X project MARSHA launch from just beyond the exclusion zone. I took this video to explain to my family what was going to happen and why what we are doing is so exciting!

The modified Terrier-Improved Malemute has such incredible acceleration that it leaves the frame in less than 2 seconds, so I slowed things down a bit in this video.

Although no video was collected, data from the state machine and videos from other payloads showed that the arms deployed and attempted a pass just like in this video.

In August of 2021, Northwest Nazarene University and Kauai Community College launched a suborbital satellite on a sounding rocket from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. The team performed a successful boom deployment and captured flight data before the payload re-entered the atmosphere. I helped to develop the mechanical system and create and present extensive presentations to NASA representatives. 

After being delayed a year due to Covid, our team persevered and delivered our payload to NASA on time.

Research was conducted with NASA funding, and the payload was integrated and tested at NASA Wallops Flight Facility.