The year of 2024 marks a busy and very successful year for the WARR Space Labs team. Here are some of our key highlights and accomplishments!
Gravimeeting Conference
In March we were invited to the Gravimeeting in Erlangen, a yearly conference for German Gravitational Biology supported by the DLR. There we got to present our project ADDONISS, that launched to the ISS in 2023 and was co-funded by the DLR through the “Überflieger 2” competition. It was a great opportunity to scout the latest research developments and talk to experts. There we got the inspiration for our new focus project: D.I.N.O.labs.
New Mission D.I.N.O.labs
Dinoflagellates: Investigation of Noctilucent Organisms (D.I.N.O.labs) aims to analyze the behavior of bioluminescent algae in altered gravity environments, such as those experienced during rocket launches. Bioluminescent algae like Pyrocystis Noctiluca are sensitive to shear forces on their membranes and exhibit a blue light upon mechanical stimulation. This makes them a valuable biomarker for shear forces and offers unique opportunities to study the effects of microgravity and high-gravity phases on biological systems.
D.I.N.O.labs V1 at Spaceport America Cup – Honorable mention
After just three months of development, we achieved our first milestone with our first launch at the Spaceport America Cup. D.I.N.O.labs V1 flew on board WARR Rocketry’s EX-1E rocket WESP which performed a beautiful two staged launch in the New Mexico desert, USA.
To combat the intense heat we designed a water cooling system that utilized ice water to cool the the payload on the launch pad. Encased in a 3U housing (10x10x30cm^3) weighing 4kg, as per competition regulations, we flew 2 samples of bioluminescent algae. The cooling system successfully maintained a stable environment of 23°C for the algae, protecting them from the harsh launch conditions. However, the system proofed to be rather unwieldy during handling, prompting the development of an updated thermal system for our second launch later in the year in Portugal.
As a highlight of this first chapter of D.I.N.O.labs, we won an honorable mention for “Most Professionally Integrated Payload”, which is a huge tribute to the experience we gathered during the last two years in terms of payload design, construction, and operations.
D.I.N.O.labs V2 at EuRoC – Payload Award
The second launch followed shortly after, taking place in October at EuRoC in Portugal. D.I.N.O.labs V2 was carried aboard WARR Rocketry’s EX-4B rocket, Nixus. Building on the lessons learned from V1, where our cameras failed to capture satisfactory signals during the SAC launch, we upgraded to improved sensors. This allowed us to repurpose the freed space from the cameras and the new air cooling system to accommodate more algae samples.
With this enhancement, the payload carried a total of 8 samples, each trained to be active during different time windows during the day to ensure active samples during the eventual launch. Despite the rocket having to recover with only the drogue parachute because of strong winds on the launch day, the payload survived the touchdown with only a minor battle mark – a small warp in the housing – and was fully functional upon recovery.
Our hard work of the previous months was honored when we were awarded the EuRoC Payload Award. This completed the triple win for WARR, bringing home three EuRoC awards this year: the L3 Flight Award, the Team Award and the Payload Award.
