Porto Space Team: Reaching New Heights

We’re Porto Space Team, a group of students from Porto working on the development of INVICTUS 2, our second hybrid rocket. Following our first project, this year’s goal was to design and build our new hybrid rocket, from propulsion to avionics, pushing our technical and teamwork skills to the next level.

Last year, our launch attempt was stopped by leaks in the hydraulic system. This year, we fixed that issue, but faced thrust irregularities, most likely caused by injector or hydraulic limitations. Even so, we managed to perform a successful static fire test, a huge milestone that proved our systems are working together as intended.

A key part of this success was our new OnBoard Computer (OBC), the central unit responsible for decision-making, communications, and data collection during flight.

The OBC: The Rocket’s Brain

Designed entirely by our electronics subteam, the OBC handles flight logic, data logging, and communication with other subsystems over RS485, LoRa and UART. During the static fire, the board performed flawlessly, a major validation for our avionics architecture.

This PCB, manufactured by Eurocircuits, marks our first professionally produced board of this iteration. The quality and precision of their manufacturing made assembly and testing smooth, giving us confidence to move forward with future projects.

We may not have launched yet, but every iteration brings us closer, and this year, thanks to Eurocircuits, our electronics were a complete success.

For more information please visit the Porto Space Team website.