Payload

Lead: Louis Schittrigkeit

So why do we fly rockets? Okay, in all fairness, there are a lot of reasons—but one of them is the payload section! The payload serves as the scientific heart of the system. It is either built in-house by Rapid members or provided by other teams, usually local schools or international rocketry teams from all over Europe! It can take all kinds of forms and shapes, but the most common ones are CanSats and CubeSats.

The challenges the Payload team must face are clear: Of course, there’s the hardware aspect, so designing a payload section can handle all the mechanical and thermal stresses of the flight. It should be adaptable to suit the payload provider’s needs, secure the payloads during flight, provide them with power and data, and maybe even deploy them if needed. The second aspect is communication with the payload providers. While less technical, it is just as important for the overall mission. This ranges from payload acquisition over communicating ideas and requirements all the way to working with the teams during launch operations to ensure a successful flight. Sounds interesting? Then join the payload team!

And in case you have a payload but are currently lacking a rocket, you can reach out to us using either mail or our Discord server—both can be found on our website.