An Introduction to Purdue Orbital 22 August 2019 1000 - 1030

Purdue Orbital is a dynamic interdisciplinary team made up entirely of Purdue students with the goal of delivering a low-Earth orbit launch vehicle for cube satellites. Orbital has decided to take the novel ‘rockoon’ approach which consists of launching a custom-built rocket from a high-altitude polyethylene balloon at an altitude of 25 kilometers. This ambitious goal has required a lot from the students involved. Labeled a “startup simulator”, Purdue Orbital aims to provide its members with a unique opportunity to work together to accomplish tasks related to science, engineering, management, marketing, and business development all with the common goal of designing and funding our rockoon system. Orbital is currently working towards the first flight of its fully-integrated rockoon system in December 2019, and the first hot-fire of its hybrid rocket motor prototype the following May.