Halcyon
TREL’s premier launch vehicle.
Halcyon is a pressure-fed engine blowdown configuration vehicle. The propellants are RP1 and LOx, with COPVs as the propellant tanks and a fully composite airframe.
Halcyon boasts an electric TVC system and LOx differential pressure propellant level sensing.
Halcyon utilizes in-house flight computers and flight software and is the most advanced collegiate rocket ever built or static fired. Halcyon aims to beat the collegiate liquid bi-propellant rocket altitude record by flying to 35 km.
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Teams
Test and Launch Operations
Test and Launch focuses on the development and operation of the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and all other infrastructure that validate Halcyon’s mission from prior to integration all the way up to launch. The Test and Launch department consists of three test stands – The Engine Test Stand (located at Briggs TX) used to hotfire our engine, and validate the Engine Team’s designs. The Vehicle Test Stand used to static fire and launch our vehicle, and various smaller test stands located at our pickle research campus used to validate all the components that will eventually fly on MK1, and future iterations of Halcyon.
Integration and Ground Structures
Integration and Ground Structures owns all of the ground support structures for our vehicles, including the strongback, launch mount, and other lift and static fire hardware. They also own the vehicle CAD and the vehicle integration onto these structures. The Integration and Ground Structures team is now working to improve our lift process and make the lift hardware robust.
Stage Propulsion
Stage Propulsion owns all the vehicle fluid systems, including the propellant sensing, liquid oxygen press, RP press, igniter, fill, and engine feedline systems. They own the inter tanks that house these assemblies and the inter tank routing. The Stage team is working to develop an on-vehicle press system, mass saving in the inter tanks, and making our in-house main valves. Additionally, the Propulsion team oversees the Thrust Vector Control system, which directs Halcyon’s flight trajectory.
Engine
The Engine team owns the engine system and engine assemblies, which includes the chamber, igniter, injector and nozzle. The engine team is now working to create an in-house manufactured ablative nozzle, as well as an in-house designed and tested electric pump for Halcyon
Mechanisms
The Mechanisms team owns all mechanical systems on the vehicle, including the Thrust Vector Control, Actuated Canards, Static Fins, and Recovery systems. They are working on developing our new canards system for use on Halcyon. Mechanisms is also working on making in-house electric actuators for Neptune in addition to further TVC redesigns, as well as simplifying recovery and improving vehicle control authority.
Structures
The Structures team owns the vehicle structure, including the COPVs, airframe, bonded joints, coupler, nosecone, and raceways. They also own the manufacturing of all of these structures, as well as the ablative nozzle. The Structures team is working on developing a test for our COPV bonded joints, beginning the manufacture of the Neptune vehicle structure, as well as beginning work on a metallic airframe and tank architecture.
Ground Station Software
The Software team owns all software, including our in-house flight software and in-house ground software. They are working on completely overhauling our ground software stack, as well as updates to our flight software for the new control systems and GPS logic.
Avionics
The Avionics team owns all electronics on the vehicle, including the in-house flight computers, the GPS and antennas, the RF system, the harnessing, and the inter tank avionics. They are working on developing new TVC Driver PCBs, as well as increasing reliability for Halcyon.
Guidance, Navigation, & Control
The GNC team owns the simulation of the vehicle for vehicle trajectory and dispersions. They develop this 6-DOF simulation, as well as controllers for the TVC and Canards systems. The GNC team is working to implement new controllers and make new dispersions/trajectories for our new launch site, as well as creating a fully in-house simulation.
Halcyon Spring 2025
Halcyon Leadership Spring 2025
