Track Your Rocket (TYR)

Track Your Rocket (TYR) is Spacecifics flagship product for tracking sounding rockets. It’s a spinoff from a REXUS research project at the Radboud Radio Lab, using state-of-the-art radio processing techniques inspired by Radio Astronomy and modern communication systems.

Track Your Rocket (TYR) is a fully in-house developed tracking system designed specifically for sounding rockets. It consists of multiple ground-based receiver units, TYR Stations, equipped with digital phased arrays and deployed around the launch site. Each rocket is fitted with a dedicated RF transmitter that emits a continuous signal during flight.

TYR Stations track this signal using advanced beamforming techniques and can synchronize with one another to form a distributed radio interferometric array, similar to methods used in radio astronomy. This enables precise real-time reconstruction of the rocket’s trajectory, orientation, and dynamics throughout flight.

The entire system operates locally, without reliance on cloud infrastructure, ensuring reliable performance in remote or infrastructure-limited environments.

TYR Stations

Digital Phased Array
Each TYR Station features a fully digital phased array, enabling high-resolution signal acquisition and real-time beamforming. This architecture allows the system to track multiple targets simultaneously and collect rich datasets during flight. All antenna data is stored locally, preserving mission-critical information for post-flight analysis and enabling detailed trajectory reconstruction with high precision.

Portable and Robust
TYR Stations are engineered for reliability and ease of deployment. Their compact, modular design fits alongside crew and cargo, allowing fast setup at remote or logistically challenging launch sites. Once deployed, the stations ensure continuous tracking from liftoff to touchdown.

All-Terrain Operability
TYR stations are built to operate in a diverse range of environmental conditions, from the -40°C snowy extremes of Kiruna to Scotland’s rainy weather or the +50°C heat of the Australian Outback. This rugged design ensures reliable performance in any climate

Battery Powered
Each station is fully battery-powered, supporting complete mission tracking without reliance on external power sources. With up to two weeks of standby time, stations remain on alert and ready to operate the moment launch occurs, crucial for missions in remote or infrastructure-limited locations.

Payload

Redundant Power
Power-related issues account for nearly 20% of small satellite mission failures. To ensure operation, the TYR payload can incorporate a fully redundant power system ensuring uninterrupted operation throughout the rocket flight. This redundancy significantly improves reliability, even under the extreme acceleration, vibration, and thermal conditions encountered in sounding rocket missions.

Custom Sounding Rocket Antenna
Each sounding rocket is equipped with an in house designed antenna tailored to the specific launch provider and mission requirements. While a single antenna enables accurate localization, additional antennas can be integrated to measure orientation, further enhancing overall tracking performance.

License-Free Operation
The TYR payload transmits in the globally available license-free ISM band, ensuring compliance with international spectrum regulations. This allows for seamless deployment without the need for special permits or certifications, ideal for operations in remote areas or time-critical missions where external coordination is limited, expensive or time consuming.

Interface

Live and Custom Monitoring
Stay in control with TYR’s flexible and customizable interface. Whether you need real-time updates on your rocket’s position or detailed system diagnostics, TYR’s backend provides all the tools to keep you informed. Connect to your local network via wired or wireless options, or let TYR create its own network for standalone operation. The interface can be fully customized to display only the parameters that matter to you in your mission with key features such as:

  • Real-Time Rocket Tracking
    View live updates of your rocket’s position and trajectory during the entire flight, with customizable data visualization to highlight key metrics.

  • Station Status and Diagnostics
    Get detailed information about the status and health of each TYR station, including position, operational state, and any system alerts.

  • Logistical Settings
    Configure frequency, power levels, and station identification with a straightforward interface, enabling precise control of RF settings.

  • Environmental Monitoring
    Keep track of essential metrics like station temperature, battery charge levels, and operational frequencies.

  • Remote Access and Control
    Access the TYR backend remotely via a secure connection, allowing you to monitor and adjust settings from anywhere.