Solution Requirements

The Rocket Telemetry Challenge is seeking a complete solution for a telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C) data link between a sub-orbital sounding rocket and a ground station. All mechanical, electronic, and software components of the system, in particular, the transmission chain including the emitter, the antennas and the receiver, as well as the software required for the data handling and transmission will be included in the proposed solution designed by Solvers. The emission part is embedded in the rocket and has several mechanical constraints.

TII- The Rocket Telemetry Challenge is primarily interested in solutions with the potential to meet the following requirements:

Must Have
  • The system (emitter, antennas, and receiver) shall work in the range of 10 km altitude and 10 km downrange.
  • The system hardware to be installed in the nosecone of the rocket shall fit in a cylindrical space 15 cm in diameter and 30 cm in length.
  • The system shall record on the onboard system and send to the ground station the real-time data acquired from pressure and temperature sensors as well as altimeter, spin rate, acceleration and velocity sensors. A video camera signal shall also be acquired and transmitted as well as GPS tracking data. Minimum data rate is 10 samples per second for 10 channels of data. Sensors and camera are not part of the proposed solution.
  • Commands from the ground station (e.g. for flight termination and for parachute opening) shall be acquired by the onboard system. The telemetry system shall allow commands to be sent from the ground station to the vehicle with delay less than 100 ms.
  • The system shall be able to withstand and operate at low temperature, 3g quasi-steady acceleration loads, and vibrations of up to 0.5g magnitude in the frequency range of 10-100 Hz; as well as humidity levels of up to 80%.
  • The system must be capable of remaining operational for a minimum of 2 hours on ground without shutting down or running out of power.
  • The data received from the telemetry should remain uninterrupted and free from interference throughout the entire operation.
  • Transmissions shall utilize the most appropriate frequency band, which will be decided by the developer.
  • The telemetry system shall be self-powered.
Things to Avoid
Ideation
  • Brainstorm what we can do
Proof of concept
  • How to solve more specific requirements
Production ready
  • Who to collaborate with
Testing requirements

The Rocket Telemetry Challenge is requesting test results for proposed systems for the first round of evaluation. The testing procedure shall follow the classical Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation, being able to reproduce the flight behavior of the system, i.e. the value of each electrically emulated sensor is read, stored and transmitted by the embedded system under test. Likewise, the embedded system under test implements its control algorithms by outputting actuator control signals.

In particular, test shall be carried out continuously over 10 min period:

  • Analog signals shall be generated to emulate the pressure and temperature sensors as well as the camera video and the GPS
  • Those signals shall be acquired at the maximum sampling rate and stored onboard the system and sent to the receiver placed at the maximum required distance (10 km)
  • Two commands shall be generated from the receiving station and sent to the embedded system (transmitter), which shall output control signals, which shall be measured.

Tests shall be carried out in the following conditions:

  • Temperature: Room ambient 30±3˚C
  • Altitude: Room ambient
  • Vibration: None
  • Humidity: Room ambient up to 90 percent relative humidity.
Note: During submission you will be required to include detailed instructions and a list of materials/components, which can be easily followed by the The Rocket Telemetry Challenge to construct and test the proposed systems.
This Prize Challenge features
  • Your IP Rights are protected in this Prize Challenge; The Rocket Telemetry Challenge must award you to obtain non-exclusive rights.
  • The total award pool is $55,000(USD) to be awarded as follows:
    • 1st Place - $30,000(USD);
    • 2nd Place - $15,000(USD);
    • 3rd Place - $10,000(USD) to the top three solutions that meet the solution requirements, as solely determined by The Rocket Telemetry Challenge.
  • Awards will be contingent upon the theoretical evaluation and experimental validation of the proposal by The Rocket Telemetry Challenge against the Solution Requirements.
  • To receive an Award for this Prize Challenge, Solvers are required to grant non-exclusive rights to the Intellectual Property (IP) in their proposed solution. Solvers will retain all rights to any proposal not Awarded.
  • While not a prerequisite for taking part in the Challenge, three to five Solvers with the top solutions will be invited on a fully-paid trip to the UAE to prepare for and take part in an on-site demonstration of their solutions in 2025. You will be asked to indicate your interest in attending.