CATS: Empowering the next generation of rocket scientists through educational flight computers

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Binz, Jonas, Stojoski, Nemanja, Jost, Luca
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Binz, Jonas
Stojoski, Nemanja
Jost, Luca
author_facet Binz, Jonas
Stojoski, Nemanja
Jost, Luca
contents This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the Vega flight computer, and its corresponding ground station developed by CATS, a company producing open-source flight computers and tracking systems tailored for student-made rockets. These flight computers, designed to support rockets reaching altitudes of up to 30 km and possibly higher, play a crucial role in advancing educational rocketry and facilitating hands-on learning experiences in aerospace engineering. As the official sponsor of the European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC), these flight computers have become integral to the competition, providing reliable and sophisticated telemetry and control capabilities that enhance both safety and performance. The paper delves into the technical specifications and educational impact of these systems, highlighting their contribution to the broader European rocketry programmes. Through comprehensive field data and case studies from the recent European Rocketry Challenge, this study underscores the potential of open-source flight computers to inspire the next generation of aerospace professionals.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_04725
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle CATS: Empowering the next generation of rocket scientists through educational flight computers
Binz, Jonas
Stojoski, Nemanja
Jost, Luca
Physics Education
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Computers and Society
This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the Vega flight computer, and its corresponding ground station developed by CATS, a company producing open-source flight computers and tracking systems tailored for student-made rockets. These flight computers, designed to support rockets reaching altitudes of up to 30 km and possibly higher, play a crucial role in advancing educational rocketry and facilitating hands-on learning experiences in aerospace engineering. As the official sponsor of the European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC), these flight computers have become integral to the competition, providing reliable and sophisticated telemetry and control capabilities that enhance both safety and performance. The paper delves into the technical specifications and educational impact of these systems, highlighting their contribution to the broader European rocketry programmes. Through comprehensive field data and case studies from the recent European Rocketry Challenge, this study underscores the potential of open-source flight computers to inspire the next generation of aerospace professionals.
title CATS: Empowering the next generation of rocket scientists through educational flight computers
topic Physics Education
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.04725