Origin on Standby

They say that ''patience is the mother of science,'' and that is what the UPV Design Factory Faraday Rocketry team needs right now. They have had to rein in their desire to break the record and make a difficult decision. The Origin rocket was ready. The team was ready, too. But Huelva decided to blow harder than ever, and the weather played its part.

Origin, the rocket designed to break the amateur rocketry record, was unable to fly from the El Arenosillo Experimental Centre of the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) in the province of Huelva due to ''disastrous'' weather conditions, according to Faraday Rocketry's executive director, Guzmán Marchesi. There was persistent rain and, above all, wind gusts exceeding 50 km/h. The first launch was scheduled for 4 February. It was postponed to Thursday, then indefinitely until weather conditions are optimal.

‘The main problem was the wind. To ensure the safety of the launch and the stability of the rocket on take-off, we need relatively low surface winds, and that was not the case at any time,’ explains Marchesi.

The hardest decision

After days of frantic work, nerves, meetings and tough decisions, the team opted for the most difficult but also the most responsible option: not to launch. ''Forcing the attempt on Friday 6 February would have jeopardised the mission, with a fairly serious safety issue,'' acknowledged Guzmán Marchesi. The decision was made on Thursday afternoon, after team discussions and with the responsibility of two years of work on the table. The possibility of losing Origin was too risky.

INTA management proposed several alternative dates although with caution. ''We don't want to roll the dice with the weather again,'' explains the team's CEO. The final decision for that window will be made depending on the weather forecast.

The decision to postpone was not easy. The team had been working non-stop for months since their return from the EuROC European Championship in October, enduring marathon days and sleepless nights throughout the launch campaign. ''Everyone deserved to see the rocket fly,'' Marchesi said enthusiastically. However, far from giving up, the group decided to put the launch and the laptops on hold. Literally, it's time to rest.

''The rocket is still there, everything is ready. In part, it was a way to force ourselves to rest, to disconnect a little and come back with our batteries recharged,'' he said. There is no work pending in Valencia: when the weather window opens, ''all the planning rehearsed in up to three complete simulations will be reactivated immediately.''

Positive balance

Beyond the postponement, the overall balance is positive, according to Marchesi, a student with a Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace Engineering. Collaboration with INTA and the Armed Forces has been a huge qualitative leap for the team. 'We have faced very high industrial-level demands. The operations are much more complex than in a competition, and we have learned to work to extremely high standards,'' Marchesi said. In addition, within the base, there has been a perception of "a highly trained team.''

The rocket did not fly this time, but Faraday Rocketry is not leaving empty-handed. They are leaving with experience, confidence and a date marked in red on the calendar. Because one thing is clear: once the wind calms down, ''we will be back fully charged and ready to take on the world,'' says Marchesi, the executive director, eagerly as he leaves class.

UPV Design Factory

Faraday Rocketry is part of UPV Design Factory, the UPV's pioneering project that, with 10 years of experience, serves as a launch pad for interdisciplinary student projects that promote 'learning by doing' and enhance cross-curricular skills. This year, the programme brings together 3,000 students in a total of 65 teams from various disciplines.