MUSCAT, 4th REXUS student rocket project selected for flight
ESA has selected the student rocket proposal MUSCAT (MUltiple Spheres for Characterisation of Atmospheric Temperature) for flight in 2013. This is the fourth consecutive year that KTH EES gets selected for the REXUS programme.
The objectives of MUSCAT are to conceive, design and construct probes to be used in multi-point measurements of middle-atmospheric temperatures and horizontal winds below 80 km using active spherical probes. The expected results are the characterization of altitude profiles of atmospheric temperature and winds at four horizontally separated locations.
As an additional technical objective, building a multiple (4+) object payload and ejection system is also meant as a demonstration of multiple small deployable sub-payloads. Making each sub-payload extremely reliable, robust and easy to manufacture and test is therefore an essential design objective.