Propulsion

The Propulsion Department develops, manufactures, and tests the rocket engine and all systems directly related to producing thrust. For ASTRA’s current vehicles, the team works with a hybrid rocket engine that combines a liquid oxidizer with a solid fuel.

Engine Design & Subsystems
The engine can be divided into three main parts: the injector, the combustion chamber, and the nozzle. The injector feeds nitrous oxide into the combustion chamber, where it reacts with the solid fuel grain. The resulting hot gases are then accelerated through the nozzle to generate the thrust that propels the rocket.

Manufacturing & Testing
Propulsion is responsible not only for designing the engine, but also for manufacturing components, preparing test hardware, assembling the system, and carrying out hot-fire campaigns together with Ground Systems. These tests are used to verify performance, identify design improvements, and qualify the engine for flight.

Flight Preparation & Integration
Once the engine design is validated, the focus shifts toward producing flight hardware, integration into the rocket, and preparing the team for launch operations. This includes repeated assembly procedures, interface checks, and ensuring that the propulsion system can be operated reliably under launch conditions.

What Does the Work Look Like?
Work in Propulsion combines thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, combustion, mechanical design, manufacturing, simulation, testing, and data analysis. Members may work on anything from injector and nozzle design to fuel-grain production, engine assembly, test preparation, and post-test evaluation.