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STES Rocketry 01 / 06

Sky is not the limit

India's #1 rocketry team
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Who we are

Mission &
Vision

Team members watching a rocket launch
The STES Rocketry team holding the Indian flag

Mission

To design and launch in-house built rockets targeting actual space missions that showcase Indian innovation and engineering brilliance.

To give students hands-on experience, encouraging teamwork and technical excellence.

Vision

To become a student-led team known for engineering excellence on a global stage.

To inspire young minds across India, proving that with hard work and determination anything is possible.

Journal

Notes from
the build

All posts
Since 2017

Mission
Log

Every vehicle we have taken to a competition, and where it finished.

Spaceport America Cup

New Mexico, USA

The world's largest intercollegiate rocket engineering competition: over 1,700 students from more than 150 institutions around the world.

Latin American Space Challenge

Brazil

Held since 2019 to promote problem-based learning through projects with a space theme.

2017Campus launchesOur foundation: small-scale launches on campusStartWhere it began
2018APJSpaceport America Cup · 150+ teams33rdWorld · 1st in Asia 2019APJ-IISpaceport America Cup · 150+ teams29thWorld 2021The Perfect GameLatin American Space Challenge6thWorld · 2nd target category 2022Midnight SunLatin American Space Challenge8thWorld · 3rd target category 2023Stellar EyeLatin American Space Challenge4thWorld · 1st in Asia 2024DemogorgonThe Great Indian Launch1 kmFirst Indian SRAD launch to 1 km AGL 2025SahasraLatin American Space Challenge · 160+ teams3rdWorld 2025VikrantLatin American Space Challenge · 150+ teams2ndWorld
Best results: world top 5, or a national first Mid-table: top 10 or a regional best
Propulsion

Inside our
liquid engine

Three generations of student-built engines, all burning ethanol with nitrous oxide.

Static fireEthanol · Nitrous oxide
NarlikarFoundation
1.5kN
PEAK THRUST3 kN
Burn time
6 s
Role
Foundational engine
PatankarFlown
2.5kN
PEAK THRUST3 kN
Burn time
2 s
Impulse
L-class · 4,500 Ns
Role
Powered the 1 km award-winning rocket
Next engineIn development
3kN
PEAK THRUST3 kN
Burn time
5 s
Build
Metal 3D printed
Alloy
AlSi10Mg

Never done by a student team in India

Vehicle systems

Rocket
subsystems

Designed and built in-house, from the airframe to the avionics.

FIG. 01 / AEROSTRUCTURENOSECONEAVIONICS BAYRECOVERY BAYAIR BRAKESMOTOR CASEFINSNOZZLE

The spine of flight.

  • In-house fibreglass composite airframe and nosecone
  • In-house air brakes control surfaces
  • Fibreglass fins, laid up tip to tip
FIG. 02 / PROPULSIONETHANOLNITROUS OXIDEPRESSURANTCHAMBERDOWNCOMERINJECTORNOZZLEFEED VALVECOOLING CHANNELS

Ignition & thrust.

  • VAJRA, our in-house M-class solid motor
  • Student-built liquid engines on ethanol and nitrous oxide
  • Internal downcomer system for fuel transfer
FIG. 03 / AVIONICSSTM32 MCUQSPI FLASHSD CARDLORA RADIOPYRO CHANNELSI/O

The nervous system.

  • PRATAP flight computer on an STM32 MCU
  • Barometer, IMU, magnetometer, GPS, QSPI flash, SD card and LoRa
  • Dual pyro channels, power monitoring, compact 4-layer PCB
FIG. 04 / GROUND STATION14 DBI YAGIROTATORTELEMETRYVEHICLE

The eye of the storm.

  • BOSE control system: ignition, valves and telemetry
  • 14 dBi Yagi with 868 MHz LoRa, 100% telemetry capture beyond 6 km
  • Custom software for landing prediction
FIG. 05 / RECOVERYMAIN CANOPYDROGUELINE CUTTER3-RING RELEASE

Safe returns.

  • Dual elliptical parachutes: 235 cm main, 76 cm drogue
  • Own line-cutter mechanism and 3-ring release
  • Drogue first, then a controlled release of the main
FIG. 06 / PAYLOADCAMERABATTERY SYSTEMSTAR/SUN TRACKERATTITUDE (AHRS)3U RAIL FRAME

Mission objective.

  • Payload stack: attitude and heading reference system (AHRS), star and sun tracker, battery management system (BMS) and a camera
  • Raman, our quantum channel stress analyzer project, flying as a 3U CubeSat rideshare
  • Our own DISHA navigation system, fibre-optic gyroscopes and a Star-Sun tracker, validated on the mission
  • Electroactive bacteria payload that senses stress, and the LEVI acoustic levitator
Partners

Why sponsor
us

Don't just watch history being created. Become a part of it.

  1. 01

    Brand visibility

    Showcase your brand to a wide audience across competitions and events.

  2. 02

    Industry leadership

    Support innovation and STEM education initiatives.

  3. 03

    Talent pipeline

    Connect with skilled, motivated future engineers.

  4. 04

    Recognition

    Gain acknowledgment in events, media and team activities internationally.

Perks
Silverup to 50k INR
Gold50k to 1L INR
Platinumover 1,00,000 INR
Media visibility
✓
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Website
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Rocket & merchandise
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Partner with us Our sponsors
Outreach

Spreading STEM knowledge

01

Junior high schools

Hands-on STEM workshops, interactive sessions and model rocket demonstrations.

02

STEM events

Sharing innovations and showcasing projects at science fairs and expos.

03

Recruitment drives

Showcasing our journey, achievements and skill-building opportunities to bring new students in.

About

About STES
Rocketry

What is STES Rocketry?

STES Rocketry is a student rocketry team from Pune, India, active since 2017. Students design, build and launch their own rockets, liquid engines, solid motors, flight computers and ground-control software, and compete at international rocketry competitions.

Is STES Rocketry the best student rocketry team in India?

STES Rocketry presents itself as India's top student rocketry team. At the Latin American Space Challenge 2025 the team placed second in the world with Vikrant, India's first student-built liquid engine rocket, and third in the world with Sahasra, which flew a self-developed solid motor. In 2024 it made the first Indian 1 km AGL SRAD launch.

Which rockets has the team built?

Vikrant (2025, 2nd worldwide at LASC 2025), Sahasra (2025, 3rd worldwide), Demogorgon (2024, 1 km AGL), Stellar Eye (2023, 4th worldwide and 1st in Asia), Midnight Sun (2022, 8th worldwide), The Perfect Game (2021, 6th worldwide), APJ II (2019, 29th worldwide at the Spaceport America Cup) and APJ (2018, 33rd worldwide and first among Asian teams).

What engines and motors does STES Rocketry build?

Liquid engines burning ethanol with nitrous oxide: Narlikar (1.5 kN peak thrust, 6 s burn), Patankar (flown on Vikrant, L-class, 4,500 Ns total impulse) and a 3 kN engine in development for Project Dhawan, metal 3D printed in AlSi10Mg. Solid motors built in-house: VAJRA (M-class, flew on Sahasra), Lakshya (flew on Stellar Eye) and the Midnight Sun motor.

What avionics and payloads does the team develop?

PRATAP, an in-house STM32 flight computer with a four-layer PCB; BOSE, a ground-control system for ignition, valves and telemetry over a LoRa link tested beyond 6 km; Endeavour, the flight computer used on Stellar Eye; LEVI, an acoustic levitator payload; Raman, a quantum channel stress analyzer for a CubeSat; and a rocket dashboard that streams live telemetry at 10 Hz.

Which competitions has STES Rocketry entered?

The Spaceport America Cup in New Mexico, USA (2018 and 2019) and the Latin American Space Challenge in Brazil (2021 to 2025), plus The Great Indian Launch in 2024.

Is STES Rocketry a company like SpaceX?

No. STES Rocketry is a student-led team, similar to the university rocketry teams that compete at the Spaceport America Cup, not a commercial launch company such as SpaceX.

How can I join, sponsor or contact the team?

Use the contact page or email stesrocketryteam@gmail.com. Sponsors are listed on the sponsors page, and the team runs recruitment drives, school workshops and STEM outreach.