We unveiled our new rocket, Andromeda
Andromeda was developed at CTU Prague with the support of academic and industry partners and other donors. Its goal is to reach an altitude of 3 km. Propulsion is provided by the new Perseus hybrid engine with 3 kN of thrust, developed in-house by CTU Space Research members. On September 8, 2025, it was christened at the Prague Planetarium by Ondřej Rohlík, the Czech Republic's envoy to ESA from the Czech Ministry of Transport.
The CTU Space Research student team from CTU Prague has unveiled Andromeda, the largest student rocket in the Czech Republic. In October it will take it to the prestigious international European Rocketry Challenge competition in Portugal. Alongside the rocket, a new test range was also unveiled, marking another step on the Czech path to space.
The rocket builds on the earlier Illustria project and represents the team's next stage of development. At 4.1 m long, 161 mm in diameter, and weighing 30.6 kg wet, it ranks among the largest and most technologically advanced civilian rockets in the Czech Republic. The main novelty compared to the previous model is the flight control system, handled by the Cimrman PX4 flight computer, designed and built by the team itself. A unique air-braking system with deployable brake flaps takes care of precisely reaching the target altitude, while a two-stage parachute system ensures a safe return to the ground.
The project gives students, not just those in STEM fields, the opportunity to put their skills into practice already during their studies and gain experience close to real engineering practice. This is also helped by the connections with industry partners and the facilities provided by CTU Prague.
"The Andromeda rocket is great proof of the demand for space projects among Czech students, which lets us pool our efforts to pull off such demanding projects. With Andromeda, our story keeps going," says Matyáš Starosta, team lead of CTU Space Research. The team wants to keep pushing its boundaries further, now focusing especially on developing a liquid-fuel engine and launching a rocket to over 1 km within the Czech Republic — something the new test site will make possible.
Testing of the rocket is planned at the newly emerging test range for unmanned aerial systems in the Sokolov region. "Our project to create a range for drones and related technologies aims to use post-mining land in the Karlovy Vary region to support technological development and kick-start innovation. It will help a region that is undergoing transformation and needs opportunities in the form of new, higher value-added fields. The project involves Sokolovská uhelná and SUAS GROUP, as well as the Czech Ministry of Transport, the Czech Chamber of Commerce, and the Karlovy Vary Region, which together signed a memorandum of cooperation. However, we couldn't do without coordinating with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Czech Republic and Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic, and units of the Integrated Rescue System have also expressed interest in using the range. We are currently working through the technical and infrastructure requirements of the range, which should serve the rapidly growing unmanned aerial systems sector and offer appropriate facilities," says Mirek Cink, strategy and grants manager and IT director at Sokolovská uhelná and SUAS GROUP.