Case Study: Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering (DARE) launches Stratos II+ to 21.5 km with National Instruments CompactRIO and LabVIEW

Ground Control System Launches Rocket to a Record Altitude of 21.5 km

Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering (DARE), a student society at TU Delft, faced the challenge of developing a robust and flexible remote ground control system (GCS) to safely control and monitor the complex filling and firing procedures for its Stratos II+ rocket. The system needed to perform time-critical tasks, gather extensive data, and withstand extreme environments while ensuring mission safety and reliability. They turned to National Instruments for a solution.

Using National Instruments' CompactRIO hardware and LabVIEW software, DARE built a modular and reliable GCS. This solution reduced their development time by more than 50 percent, from a projected 10-11 months down to just four and a half months. The system performed flawlessly throughout a rigorous test campaign and the successful launch campaign, which culminated in the Stratos II+ rocket reaching a record altitude of 21.5 km.

Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering (DARE)

Radu-Florin Florea

Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering (DARE)