14-6-2023 (SINGAPORE) A team of university students from Singapore, representing the non-profit group Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (Seds) Singapore, clinched third place in an international rocket-building competition despite facing last-minute challenges. The team almost had to withdraw from the contest as crucial parts of their rocket, including the engine, were held up at United States Customs.
After some frantic scrambling and a stroke of luck, the team managed to gather used parts and a spare motor from the organizers and other participating teams. Working tirelessly on June 2 and 3, they assembled a new rocket under harsh conditions in California’s Mojave Desert. Finally, on June 4, they successfully launched their 3m rocket at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry competition.
The rocketry team, composed of eight members from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), National University of Singapore, and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), became only the second local civilian group to launch a rocket, following a commercial rocket firm.
Upon their arrival in the Mojave Desert on June 2, the team carried two-thirds of the rocket in their suitcases while waiting for the engine and base of the rocket to be shipped over. However, they later discovered that the engine, considered the heart of their rocket, along with the lower airframe, had been delayed at US Customs due to an administrative conflict with the courier.
The team’s leader, Mr. Dhruv Mittal, 25, rushed to Los Angeles International Airport, while the rest of the team scrambled to come up with an alternative plan. “Pulling out of the competition was not an option for us because of the expenses, effort, and two years that were invested in the trip. Having no solution was unacceptable,” said Mr. Mittal, a robotics engineer and SUTD graduate.
Comprising 45 university students and graduates, the Seds Singapore rocketry team had worked on the rocket for about three years. They raised over $30,000 for the construction and testing of the rocket, with funding coming from the Office for Space Technology and Industry, as well as Singapore rocket and space launch company Equatorial Space, which also provided lab space and assistance with hardware selection and launch procedures.
At the rocketry site in the US, the team managed to salvage the remains of an old rocket to serve as an airframe. They also procured a traditional solid-fuel motor, which the organizers were able to source. Since the team had been working with hybrid engines, they had to adapt to the available resources, build an igniter for the rocket, and employ new ground-support equipment suitable for solid-fuel engines.
Under intense time pressure, the team, named Singapore Propulsion Lab, worked tirelessly to prepare their rocket for the competition’s last day on June 4.
However, the team members faced additional challenges as many of them were fatigued from juggling school, work, and competition preparations. The dry and cold desert environment didn’t help either, with team members managing to get only a little sleep in their cars or at their workbenches, often bothered by spiders and flies.
During the competition, half of the team fell ill, including NTU final-year student Hong Jin Hao, 24, who developed a bacterial infection. Despite these setbacks, the team persisted. Mr. Hong, the team’s aerostructures lead, shared his experience, stating, “I felt really sick from the afternoon of June 3. I had a fever, and my throat was hurting badly. I just finished my antibiotic dose.”
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When the team’s completed rocket was finally placed on the launchpad on June 4, Mr. Mittal feared it might fail to ignite. However, with little expectation, the team stood behind safety bunkers and launched the rocket.
To their surprise, the slim red-and-white rocket named Project Mynah soared close to a height of 3.2km, reaching the desired altitude set by the competition. Mr. Mittal expressed their astonishment, saying, “It was surprising to us that we reached the altitude. We were already mind-blown by the fact that the rocket even flew straight. We were shocked because we rigged something last minute. We changed the rocket’s entire flight profile.”
When it was announced that the team had secured third place, the members could only laugh in disbelief.
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona took first place, followed by National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan. This incident at US Customs was not the team’s first scare concerning rocket components. In 2022, they had to withdraw from the Spaceport America Cup because their novel hybrid engine, designed by Equatorial Space, had not yet received certification. They had to import a commercial hybrid motor from the US as a substitute.
Additionally, the team had to navigate the regulatory landscape in Singapore, as the use of gunpowder and pyrotechnics is restricted. They had to switch to carbon dioxide canisters to release the rocket’s parachute required for landing. Moreover, since Singapore lacks a launch site, they had to test their motor at a propulsion lab in Malaysia.
Looking ahead, the team plans to construct a more advanced rocket for the 2024 Spaceport America Cup.
