General Discussion

The sixth meeting focused on consolidating progress across technical development, funding strategies, and organizational workflows. A key achievement was the establishment of a centralized Google Docs system to track component procurement estimates and sponsor outreach efforts, streamlining coordination among team members. The team reviewed challenges in simulation efforts for the regenerative cooling prototype, advanced discussions on electronics for the test bench, and explored innovative funding approaches to support the project’s goals.

General Discussion

The fifth meeting focused on deeper exploration of the rocket engine architecture, funding strategies, and organizational structure. The team reviewed progress on the website, discussed collaborative tools, and outlined plans for propulsion kit development and STEM outreach.

Technical & Project Discussions

Rocket Engine Architecture

Propulsion Kit Development: The team discussed the development of an out-of-the-box propulsion kit, including the engine, control system, algorithms, and test bench. The kit will have variants for educational and competition use, enabling aerospace enthusiasts to focus on rocket performance rather than engine development.

General Discussion

The fourth meeting marked a major technological milestone, demonstrating the first regenerative cooling model and extensive discussions on the test bench electronics system, collaborative development tools, and workflow optimization for both documentation and meetings.

Technical & Project Discussions

Regenerative Cooling Prototype

• The first regenerative cooling channel model was presented, which is the club’s first functional liquid rocket engine physical design. Discussions agreed that this component still needs to be optimized and improved, and requires more accurate calculations and designs, and all processes should be recorded.

General Discussion

The third meeting of the Kelvin Aerospace Lab focused on clarifying the club’s technical direction and establishing a step-by-step development roadmap for the liquid rocket engine project. The discussion centered on determining feasible prototype phases and defining short-term goals.

Development Plan Overview

The club agreed to begin with a gas-fed prototype that uses gaseous oxygen and room-temperature ethanol as propellants. The first prototype will not employ regenerative cooling, as the purpose of this stage is primarily to test the Laval nozzle design, the igniter and the pintle injector. A basic test bench will be developed in parallel to support static testing and data collection.

General Discussion

A follow-up meeting was held the day after the first meeting. The meeting focused on in-depth discussions around achievable short-, medium-, and long-term goals, and translated the objectives, division of labor, and toolchain established in the first meeting into a more specific roadmap and timeline.

Roadmap and Timeline

The team has broken down long-term goals into a series of deliverable milestones, with approximate timeframes for follow-up tracking and evaluation:

General Discussion

The first meeting of the Kelvin Aerospace Laboratory focused on introducing the club’s vision, establishing direction, and discussing initial goals. Key points included:

Mission: To provide students with hands-on opportunities to explore aerospace technology, engineering, physics, and electronics through collaborative projects and research.

Core Objectives: The club provides participants with hands-on engineering experience through project-based learning in aerospace-related technologies. Furthermore, through projects and science outreach, it aims to inspire more students to pursue engineering-related fields.