The origins of our society go back to 2015 and lie with the XRT-C, a project with the goal to build a student-operated radio telescope on a tight budget. The society has since evolved to run a range of projects, some of which have been completed (such as one where the society built graphene water filters) and others which are still ongoing like the High Altitude Weather Ballon (HAB). On this page, you will find all updates of our ongoing projects.
Our first main ongoing project is Rocket Building. We run model rocket workshop sessions in the autumn term for members to design and build their own model rocket, which are then typically launched later in the year (usually sometime in the spring) around Exeter. The society has also completed in the UKSEDS National Rocketry Competion multiple times, with our Kestral II rocket coming second in the 2020 edition.
Our second ongoing project, the HAB, is something we are very excited about for the new year. Our High Altitude Balloon project aims to launch a weather balloon to obtain our own results for the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere with a stretch goal of measuring the general vertical structure of the atmosphere. This project was started by past members of the society but unfortunately had to be put on indefinite hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We are extremely pleased to have brought this back for the 2023-24 academic year: work is still ongoing on testing all the equipment and preparing for a hopeful launch date sometime in 2024.
If you’re student at the University of Exeter and are interested in physics, rocketry or aerospace engineering, then we would love for you to get involved and help us. You don’t have to be studying for a Physics or Engineering degree, you just need to have an interest in the topics!