WIRED Staff
Culture

Slideshow: Linux Rocket Hits the Launch Pad

This week, a group of amateur rocketeers will present plans to launch a high-power, suborbital rocket controlled by Linux. If it works, the craft will travel at Mach 3 to 50,000 feet. By Michelle Delio.
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The Portland State Aerospace Society team watches as its first rocket takes off into the sky.

See related story: Linux Rocket Hits the Launch Pad

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Looking up at the LV2 rocket once it is in place at the launch tower.
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The guts of the onboard flight computer for the LV2 rocket.
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The launch of the first rocket built by the Portland State Aerospace Society. The team of enthusiasts builds suborbital rockets that are smaller than commercial rockets, but larger and more powerful than hobby craft. The group relies on open-source software and hardware, which can dramatically improve the performance of its rockets.
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A hand-drawn diagram of the LV2 ground systems the Portland State Aerospace Society currently is building. Note the excessive number of Linux-based laptops, and the millions of antennas. Wish them luck.