Space Concordia launches into new semester with work on Starsailor

Starsailor, the rocket. Photo by Chloe Siohan
Starsailor, the rocket. Photo by Chloe Siohan / The Concordian

Their continued work on the Starsailor marks the team’s sixth year in their effort to reach space.

Space Concordia has recently resumed work on its rocket at the Loyola campus, with the ultimate goal of reaching space. If Space Concordia accomplishes this, it would be the first student-created rocket to reach space.  

“We’re hoping to hit that milestone before anyone else,” said Alexander Pugh, the Rocketry Division’s lead safety officer.

Currently, the team is working on validating their test stand, “Trailer Tom,” which allows them to test the rocket’s engine on the ground before they launch it into space.

One of the Rocketry Division propulsion leads, Julian Cardenas, explained that once they confirm the test stand is validated, they will go to a test site to run the rocket engine for the total expected duration of the flight. The team expects to have thoroughly tested the engine before the end of the semester.

Rocketry Division members work on their test stand, Trailer Tom.
Photo by Chloe Siohan / The Concordian

The team aims to launch their rocket, the Starsailor, to an altitude of 100 km, where space begins. The Starsailor is almost entirely student-built, except for some professionally welded parts.

Cardenas and Pugh are among the Concordia undergraduate and graduate students working on the rocket, which is being built on the field between the Jesuit Residence and Hingston Hall residence. Students can be seen working on the field sporadically, often from morning until night, on various days throughout the month. 

The team currently has around 50 members, according to Henri Massicotte, head of engineering and liquid rocketry, but around 400 to 500 people have been involved since work began in 2018. However, the project is not without its challenges. 

“We all have work going on, classes going on; we need to manage around those other schedules,” Pugh said. “And we wouldn’t want to rush any testing.”

Massicotte agreed, adding that high costs, finding sponsors to cover those costs, and sourcing and manufacturing parts also pose difficulties. 

The team must also take extra precautions to prevent their design from leaking to competing teams. Dr. Mehdi Hojjati, Concordia professor and co-director of Concordia Centre for Composites (CONCOM) was recently asked to sign an NDA regarding Space Concordia’s work.

“They don’t want to reveal too much information,” Hojjati said.

Massicotte confirmed this, noting that they primarily want to protect their engine.

“It’s what gives us the edge,” Massicotte said. “There are some people around that really want to have what we have.”

The Rocketry Division’s testing setup, near the Jesuit Residence building on the Loyola Campus. Photo by Chloe Siohan / The Concordian

CONCOM, a composites research facility established in 1979, has integrally supported the students’ project. Space Concordia collects composite material from CONCOM to build parts of their rocket, like the body and combustion chamber.

Concordia professor Suong Van Hoa, also a co-director and founder of CONCOM, explained that no other universities in Canada have the equipment that CONCOM offers Concordia. Hoa said this “unique capability” of CONCOM gives Space Concordia an advantage.

Despite the team’s prolonged work on campus, the rocket will not be launched from Montreal. Instead, the rocket will launch from Churchill, Manitoba, “very far away from any people,” Pugh said.

The Starsailor’s projected launch date is mid-to-late 2025.

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