Student rocket team prepares to launch its most advanced vehicle yet from Norwegian soil this July. This is Trondheim's real superpower, Mayor Kent Ranum said at the unveiling.
Propulse NTNU has unveiled Fossekall, the student rocket organisation's latest and most ambitious rocket to date. The launch campaign is planned for the final week of July from the island of Tarva outside Ørland, marking another major milestone for one of Norway's most advanced student-led aerospace initiatives.
Founded in 2018, Propulse NTNU has developed and launched five rockets, steadily increasing both technical complexity and organisational maturity. The team now consists of 73 students working across propulsion, software, avionics, mechanical systems, communications and business development, supported by more than 50 industry partners across aerospace, defence and technology sectors.
Propulse NTNU Chairman Stian Alseth. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri
The new rocket builds on lessons learned from previous projects and incorporates a range of improvements, including a lighter airframe, simplified recovery systems, enhanced software architecture and further development of a student-designed liquid rocket engine.
The propulsion team has continued to refine Propulse's liquid rocket engine, which uses nitrous oxide and high-purity ethanol as propellants.
"Some people may have tasted 96 percent alcohol, but that's not good enough for us," said Chief Propulsion Engineer William Dugan during the unveiling. "We need 99 percent ethanol."
William Dugan, Chief Propulsion Engineer. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri
Combined with nitrous oxide oxidiser cooled to approximately -30°C, the propellant combination powers Fossekall's student-developed engine, which produces around 800 kilograms of thrust during its five-second burn.
"The rocket itself is actually a very small part of the project. The project is our members," said Propulse NTNU Chairman Stian Alseth during the unveiling.
"The unique thing is that we do all of this in less than a year. You gain a type of experience that could take many years to acquire in industry, because you follow an entire product cycle from concept to launch."
Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri
The unveiling attracted representatives from industry, academia and public authorities, including Trondheim Mayor Kent Ranum, who praised Propulse as a prime example of what makes Trondheim Norway's technology capital.
"When I speak about Trondheim as Norway's technology capital, it is not a title we have been given for free. It is a position we have to earn every single day. And who makes sure we deserve it? It is you, the student community and our unique culture of student volunteering. That is Trondheim's real superpower."
Trondheim Mayor Kent Ranum. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri
Ranum highlighted the value student organisations create for Norwegian industry.
"Through projects like this, you are not only educating future engineers. You are delivering ready-made leaders and problem-solvers that industry is crying out for – people who know how to turn theory into practice and who are not afraid to aim for the stars, quite literally."
Looking ahead to the planned launch campaign, he added:
"At the end of July, Fossekall will take to the skies from Tarva. It will be an exciting culmination of all the hard work you have put in, and I am convinced you will show Norway – and the world – what NTNU students are capable of."
Trondheim Mayor Kent Ranum. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri
Propulse is also a member of NORDSEC Nordic Defence and Security Cluster and has become a regular contributor to Forsvarskonferansen – Nordic Defence and Security Conference.
The unveiling highlighted the organisation's close ties with Norwegian industry. Propulse is supported by a broad range of partners spanning the aerospace, defence and technology sectors, including NORBIT, Radionor Communications, Dassault Systèmes, Protolab, Emlogic, Ubiq Aerospace, Nammo and GKN Aerospace. Several of these companies are also members of NORDSEC.
These partnerships provide students with access to expertise, testing capabilities, advanced tools and industrial environments that closely resemble professional aerospace programmes, giving members hands-on experience that mirrors professional space and defence projects.
Propulse NTNU Chairman Stian Alseth. Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri
Radionor Communications has worked with Propulse NTNU to test advanced digitally steered antenna technology capable of tracking fast-moving objects in real time.
Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri
Unlike conventional antennas that rely on mechanical movement, Radionor's systems can electronically redirect their beam in as little as 100 microseconds, making them well suited for applications involving high-speed aerial platforms.
"One of the challenges for us has been finding objects that move fast enough to properly test our systems," the representative from Radionor Communications said during the unveiling.
"That was one of the exciting things about last summer. We were very eager to see how our equipment would perform at maximum rocket velocity, and we were extremely pleased when we saw the live video feed from the rocket at top speed."
The company highlighted that the entire technology development effort takes place in Trondheim and views collaborations with student teams such as Propulse as an important way to mature advanced communications technologies while engaging with future engineering talent.
Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri
For Propulse, the unveiling of Fossekall represents not only the culmination of thousands of volunteer hours, but also another step towards establishing a sustainable Norwegian launch capability for increasingly advanced student-built rockets.
If all approvals are secured as planned, the skies over Tarva could host one of the most sophisticated student-led rocket launches ever attempted in Norway later this summer.
See also: Propulse NTNU targets July rocket launch from Tarva, Spaceport Trøndelag
Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri
Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset/Fremtidens Industri