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CanSat'17

A microsatellite competition Official WebSite
Project Name: CanSat'17 Solar Powered Glider
Competition Link: https://www.cansatcompetition.com
Responsibility:
  • Leading CanSat Mechanical Team
  • Descent Control Design
  • Mechanical Subsystem Design
  • CanSat Integration & Testing
  • Participating CanSat Recovery
  • Assessing Post-Flight Glider Performance
Mission:

The 2017 mission simulates a solar powered sensor payload traveling through Venus atmosphere while sampling the atmospheric composition of the planet during flight.

Awards:
  • World 5th Place at Reporting
  • World 8th Place at Overall Missions
Mission Objectives:
  • Design special elegant CanSat system and ensure system robustness.
  • Payload will be protected in container during initial deployment from rocket.
  • Container will use parachute for descent.
  • Container will use mechanism for ejection of SV.
  • Payload will glide in circular pattern.
  • Payload will be fully powered by solar cells.
  • Both container and glider will collect data from environment using sensors. (Pressure, temperature, altitude etc.
  • Telemetry data will be transmitted to and monitored at a ground station in real time.

What I used/learned from this project?

Programs / Languages
  • SolidWorks
  • Solidworks Simulation
  • Autodesk CFD
  • MS Office
Others
  • Aerodynamics
  • Flight dynamics
  • Brainstorming for concept planning, and specification, focusing to the essence of the problem not to the obvious part.
  • Comparison and selection of major mechanical components
  • Satellite system integration, implementation of verification tests, and reporting
  • Experience in mechanical development of moving and unfolded mechanisms, build prototypes and perform system identifications tests
  • Various analysis experience such as structural analysis and flight analysis
  • Experience managing development resources (budget, progress, issue, quality)
  • Conference presentation and paper publication
  • Prepared and confident in leading mechanical design in a multidisciplinary team
  • Team development experience with 5 or more people
Background of the Project

Me and a few curious friends like me got together and established a team, IQRA.
We were aiming to participate in space and aviation competitions with this team and we started working immediately. We won first place in the TÜRKSAT model satellite competition with one of the groups participating in different competitions in the first year.

This success motivated us to participate in international competitions and we decided to participate in the NASA-sponsored CanSat competition in Texas, USA. We worked hard, really hard. At this time in my life, I realized how long the nights actually are. Finally, we went to the competition and despite all the setbacks we experienced before the competition, we finished the competition as the 5th in the world in reporting and the 8th in the world in all tasks.

While presenting our PFR report to the jury of NASA engineers, we were proud to be the only team that managed to land in one piece.

Interested? You can find the PDR, CDR, PFR and Research Paper below.

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Even more?