The Aerospace Systems Research Institute (ASRI) is affiliated to the University of KwaZulu-Natal where it is located in the Discipline of Mechanical Engineering. ASRI was established in 2022 out of the former Aerospace Systems Research Group, which was itself created in 2009 by Jean Pitot and Michael Brooks. We conduct applied research in rocket and on-orbit propulsion, gas turbine engines and associated technologies such as thermal management systems, ground support equipment and launch systems.
who cares about where it is launched from, doing it from Africa only proves to be difficult, nobody manufactured these parts near there and transport of such parts is extremely expensive
Absolutely exciting and inspiring by Prof. Brooks. I'm a fan of the social media rocket vehicle enthusiast community, and it'll be a breath of fresh air watching an update about the development of a home grown vehicle in and among the rest. It would be incredible to tour your facilities and even better to get a chance to be involved with your institute one day. I just recently watched a tour of the Rocket Factory Augsburg facility by the RU-vidr 'Everyday Astronaut' (Prof. mentions it earlier in the talk), and noted they're reliance on off-the-shelf components as far as possible, believing the automotive industry is technically developed enough for their components to be suitable for rocket vehicles as well. It got me thinking about the existing skill set the South African defence manufacturing industry has developed when it comes to military vehicles (land, sea and air, but especially land) thanks to companies like Denel back in the day, and ADG Mobility, OTT, Paramount etc.. Is there an opportunity to leverage some of their experience and tech for rocket building in RSA?
Rocket launches are common enough, and normally are made public knowledge months in advance - grab some decent binoculars, and park yourself anywhere within 100km of one, and you should be able to follow it all the way with ease.
Excellent video editing! Best way to make this even better is to have (more) voice over to explain in more detail the intricacies involved. Congrats on your successful build and launch efforts. This stuff isn't easy. It is, after all, Rocket Science. :)
