MSE Projects

The MSE programme is particularly project-driven to offer students hands-on experience in space engineering. Space systems engineers are confronted not only with technical tasks in space missions, but also face challenges in management and interpersonal communication. To get a chance to grow in all these areas, working on real projects during the studies is imperative.

A space engineering podcast by MSE alumni Rachana Reddy Mamidi:

Alternativer Stil:

MSE students can therefore choose from a variety of curricular and extra-curricular projects at the Chair of Space Technology. Here you will find a selection of project-driven lecture courses and example projects to get a better picture of the activities you can engage in during your MSE studies.

TUPEX

TUPEX or TU Berlin Picosatellite Experiments is a series of experimental space projects in which students are involved in scope of the curriculum and theses. These projects have been conducted for many years at the Chair of Space Technology and have helped many students to get their hands onto hardware for space applications. TUPEX aims to verify new technologies for picosatellites that are further used for the upcoming TU Berlin space missions. These technologies are for example satellite sensors, actuators, communication equipment, deployment mechanisms and even whole CubeSat bus systems. The students work on these technologies and build a whole experiment to verify them in a sounding rocket launch campaign or a parabola flight.

TUPEX is highly integrated into the curriculum of MSE and accompanies the students for the whole duration of their studies. The students design, develop and operate the whole mission with support of experienced scientific staff. Students organize themselves in work packages and are assessed based on their outputs generated for the project. The figure below shows in which lecture courses TUPEX is embedded in as project coursework besides the theoretical content which these courses cover. On the TUPEX-6 Blog you will find detailed information about one of these projects.

CanSat Project

As part of the Space Technology Project, students design and launch CanSats, small systems in shape of a commercial beverage that have many functions similar to a satellite. CanSats are launched by e.g. a water-driven rocket and ejected to perform measurements in the atmosphere. While working on their CanSats and self-made rockets, students underwent the whole system design process of a space mission.

The main mission objectives in 2016 were to launch a single-staged rocket which ejects a CanSat at its apogee. All parts had to land safely on the ground.

The CanSats had to make measurements of the acceleration, altitude and temperature. The small teams chose additional missions like, e.g. landing safely with a CanSat which transforms into a quadrocopter.

The main mission objectives in 2017 were to launch a two-staged rocket which ejects a CanSat at its apogee. All parts had to land safely on the ground. The CanSats had to make measurements of the acceleration, altitude and temperature. The small teams chose additional missions like, e.g. sending their data via the Iridium satellite network.