UCL Racing

Introducing Excelsior, UCL Rocket's First Regeneratively Cooled Engine. ? Additively manufactured from AlSi10Mg aluminium alloy, Excelsior was made possible through the generous support of Eplus3D Additive Manufacturing further advancing our efforts in the UK student propulsion scene. ? Producing 5kN of thrust by burning nearly 2.5 kg/s of Isopropyl Alcohol and Nitrous Oxide at 2277°C, Excelsior manages its extreme thermal loads by circulating its fuel through its walls as a coolant. Additionally, 10% of the fuel mass is injected near the inner walls, forming a thin boundary layer that shields them from hot combustion gases. ? Excelsior is the UK's 1st student engine to feature a plasma-sprayed ceramic coating, generously sponsored by Zircotec Group. Their ThermoHold H2000 Specialist Coating forms a ceramic layer measuring a few hundred microns in thickness, further reducing wall temperatures at the most critical of areas. ? Excelsior is scheduled for hot-fire testing in July 2025 for the Race 2 Space National Propulsion Competition and will be showcased at TCT Asia, the largest 3D printing exhibition in Asia. ? #3dprinting #Rocketry #race2space #eplus3d #Zircotec #UCL

UCL Rover is thrilled to announce our partnership with Xometry Europe whose support has been instrumental in pushing the boundaries of innovation for the team. Their technical engineering expertise and manufacturing have helped us design, model, simulate, and manufacture airless tires, a key component for our participation in the European Rover Challenge. With the guidance of Xometry’s engineers, we have been able to develop a cutting-edge solution that enhances our rover’s mobility and durability—crucial for tackling the extreme terrains of the competition. A huge thank you to Xometry for their invaluable support!

We're proud to have attended the Race 2 Space workshop where we got to showcase our regeneratively cooled liquid engine prototype! Our engine aims to become the first student engine to feature a plasma-sprayed coating in the UK! Huge thanks to the Race 2 Space team for this opportunity; we look forward to collaborating further with both students and industry alike! Massive thanks to Eplus3D Additive Manufacturing for sponsoring the printing of our engine and to Zircotec Group for their coating services!

UCL Racing is excited to welcome NING Research | FEA & CFD Professional as a sponsor! NING Research (NR) is an engineering consulting firm specialising in numerical modeling and simulation with offices in Singapore, London, Kuala Lumpur, and Frankfurt. NR engineers apply sound scientific and engineering principles, along with advanced software technologies to help improve product design and mitigate potential failure. Last week, we had the privilege of hosting a team of NR engineers as they conducted a 2-day CFD and FEA simulation workshop for our students at MechSpace. Our teams have benefited greatly from the workshop and is now better equipped with CFD and FEA knowledge to enhance our vehicle performance.

Looking forward to working with NING Research | FEA & CFD Professional, their help and support invaluable to our development!

UCL Rocket is delighted to announce our partnership with RS & RS Youth & Community Group! ?? This year, our team of dedicated engineers will compete in the prestigious International Rocket Engineering Competition in the USA. Thanks to the incredible support from RS, we are developing a rheometer payload, designed to analyse the effects of G-forces during rocket launches on blood flow! #UCLRocket #RSFundWinner

UCL Team Nova is delighted to announce our partnership with RS & RS Youth & Community Group for this year! Our VTOL & Quadcopter vehicles are set to compete in this year's IMechE UAS Challenge, simulating a humanitarian aid mission, whilst also completing endurance laps! RS will provide funding for both our VTOL & Quadcopter projects for this year, allowing highly rated batteries to be purchased for improved endurance - unlocking the full potential of our UAS vehicles! #UAS #RSFundWinner

Wonderful to see our alumni Carla Herrero Cornejo reaching such amazing heights!

UCL Rocket is proud to announce SafeTag Tracking as a sponsor! Over the past 2 years, their SafeTag Mini GPS units have been essential to launch day operations, ensuring the successful recovery of 6 rockets with unparalleled tracking accuracy. From enduring high G forces to withstanding rough landings, these devices have proven reliable even in the vastest of fields and tallest of crops. ? Their support has contributed significantly to the team's success, including its victory at the 2023 National Rocketry Championship. UCL Rocket is grateful to SafeTag Tracking for providing three of their latest SafeTag Mini 4G units, and looks forward to recovering even more rockets using these new trackers! ? UKSEDS - UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space

We are delighted to announce that UCL Rocket have WON First Place at the National Rocketry Championship for the second consecutive year! ?? Their winning rocket, Murphy, utilised an active-controlled PID air brakes system that precisely controlled the rocket’s maximum altitude. Every aspect of the airbrake mechanism was designed, built, and programmed by the team. Thorough Computational fluid dynamics were employed to predict the rocket’s drag coefficient, and an algorithm was developed to calibrate the inertial measurement unit during startup, ensuring accurate tilt calculations and airbrake deployment. Murphy’s performance closely matched the team’s simulation predictions, with the achieved apogee being only 0.78% lower than expected when accounting for the observed launch angle! Additionally, UCL Rocket developed their own in-house built GPS and parachute ejection system, which utilised live flight data from Murphy’s avionics bay to detect when the rocket reached its peak altitude. An electric signal was then sent to ignite a custom-built, sealed canister containing black powder explosives. The team remained true to their core value of taking bold risks and surpassed many expectations! The team extends their heartfelt thanks to the UCL Mechanical Engineering Department for their unwavering support and invaluable guidance throughout this journey. Looking ahead, their sights are set on the stars, aiming to build the UK’s first refractory engine following the successful hotfire of their Meliora engine and gearing up for SAC25. Having been established just three years ago, UCL Rocket continues to innovate and push the limits of what’s possible. With the new year beginning, there is no doubt we’ll continue to see great things from this student-led team!