Winter semester kick-off: Meet the teams on 19 October 2026 at KIT Campus South.

Recruitment information
The Moon against a black night sky

Sky was never the limit.

KIT

Home institution

20

Active members

4

Core engineering projects

About KIRA

Engineering projects organized by students

KIRA is a student-run aerospace engineering group at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Students develop practical systems in rocketry, propulsion, space robotics, and satellite technology in autonomous teams responsible for technical development, testing, documentation, and coordination. Project work is supported through KIT, competition funding, industry partnerships, and sponsorships. Recruitment takes place at the beginning of each semester, when students from all disciplines can meet the teams and apply to a project.

Our projects

Four fields of aerospace engineering

Each project is managed by a dedicated student team and covers the complete development process from design to testing.

KIRA avionics hardware connected to a laboratory power supply and emergency stop

Image 1 of 3: KIRA avionics hardware connected to a laboratory power supply and emergency stop

Rocketry

European Rocketry Challenge 2027 and EuRoC 2028

The rocketry team is developing two vehicles: Ms.F1re, a single-stage rocket powered by a solid rocket motor, for the European Rocketry Challenge 2027, and a 9 km rocket aimed at EuRoC 2028. Students design and manufacture the fiberglass airframe, avionics, and dual-deployment recovery system, and validate every subsystem through avionics bench checks and a full-scale drop campaign. The first test launch of Ms.F1re is expected in November.

Target apogee
2,000 m
Max speed
Mach 0.7
Liftoff mass
21 kg
Team size
15
Project details

Propulsion

The propulsion team is developing a bi-liquid engine for the association's EuRoC 2028 9 km rocket. Student work spans injector design, chamber fabrication, and an instrumented test bench where the group runs cold-flow checks and short hot fires under a formal ignition review. We are recruiting students to develop this project for the next season.

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Space Robotics

The space robotics team is developing a rover to compete in the European Rover Challenge 2027. Students work on the mobile platform, autonomous navigation, a robotic manipulator, and science payloads, then rehearse the competition mission scenarios on a gravel test field at KIT Campus South. We are recruiting students to develop this project for the next season.

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Satellites

The satellite team has no fixed mission plan yet: satellites can be developed as payloads for the association's own rockets or for challenges such as REXUS/BEXUS. Students define the mission concept, then integrate avionics, the electrical power system, communications, and ground-station operations as the project takes shape. We are recruiting students to develop this project for the next season.

Join Us

Join Us

Students from all disciplines can join a KIRA engineering team at the semester kick-off.

Apply now

News

Updates on project milestones, test campaigns, and competition results.

Read more

Meet the Team

The four project teams and how the work is organized at KIT Campus South.

Meet the teams

Partners and sponsors

Support for research and development

University and industry partners support KIRA with technical expertise, manufacturing, equipment, and project funding.

KIT novaElektrotechnisches Institut (ETI)Institut für Hochfrequenztechnik und Elektronik (IHE)