Electronics
Flight Electronics & PCB Technician
Build and test the boards that fly: sensor nodes, hub wiring and altimeter stacks.
PreferredEETEENECTEMA
3–6 hrs/week · volunteer
Volunteer with us · Fall 2026
Volunteer on a rocket team.
Every role here is unpaid and voluntary, run by students for students. Pick a role, read what you'd actually do, and apply with your résumé. You don't need to have built a rocket. Here's the deal:
- Who
- Any Seneca student, any program. Each role lists preferred programs.
- Time
- 2–6 hours a week
- Commitment
- At least six months, so you see a build through
- Where
- SSF clubs room
- When
- Every Friday, 5–7 pm (our weekly meeting)
Open volunteer roles
12 volunteer roles
Electronics
Embedded Firmware Volunteer
Write code for the ESP32-C6 nodes and the STM32 hub that logs and forwards flight data.
PreferredECTCPPEETBSD
3–6 hrs/week · volunteer
Electronics
Ground Station & Data Volunteer
Build the software that receives, stores and plots telemetry on launch day.
PreferredCPABSDDASCPP
2–5 hrs/week · volunteer
Mechanical
CAD & 3D Printing Prototyping Specialist
Model the payload tube, bulkheads and mounts, then print test fits so every part is checked before it is cut or laid up.
PreferredMITMATDMBTMTCPEMA
4–6 hrs/week · 4–5 volunteers · volunteer
Mechanical
Composites & Airframe Technician
Roll and finish fibreglass tubes and bulkheads for the new airframe.
PreferredEMAMITMBTMATD
4–6 hrs/week · 2–3 volunteers · volunteer
Mechanical
Mechanical Integration & Assembly Volunteer
Fit everything together: threaded rods, U-bolts, bulkheads and the electronics bay.
PreferredEMAMITMATD
3–5 hrs/week · 2–3 volunteers · volunteer
Admin
Project Coordinator & Documentation
Keep the schedule and design review documents moving so nothing is missed before the flight.
PreferredBAGBSMPMCBAO
2–4 hrs/week · volunteer
Admin
Safety & Records Volunteer
Maintain safety checklists, test logs and approvals so every test has a paper trail.
PreferredFPTBAGPMC
2–4 hrs/week · volunteer
Marketing
Social Media & Content Volunteer
Tell the build story on Instagram and LinkedIn while it is happening.
PreferredDMMMRKBMKMKM
2–4 hrs/week · volunteer
Marketing
Photo, Video & Website Volunteer
Capture build days and launch day, and keep the website's photos and copy current.
PreferredMRKDMMBMK
2–5 hrs/week · volunteer
Business
Sponsorship & Fundraising Coordinator
Find and contact companies and programs that can fund parts, travel and launch fees.
PreferredBAMBMTBAGBEN
2–5 hrs/week · volunteer
Business
Technical Procurement & CNC Outsourcing Coordinator
Source parts and get quotes for CNC-cut bulkheads and other outsourced work.
PreferredSCMBAOPMCMTCPMATD
2–4 hrs/week · 1–2 volunteers · volunteer
Handbook
What Astra Labs is
Team 06, Seneca Polytechnic. We build and fly high-power rockets and the payloads inside them. Our first rocket, Pioneer, went to Launch Canada 2026 and did not pass pre-launch inspection, so it has not flown. We are repairing it and designing a second rocket for 2027.
Our payload work is a small-scale rideshare: many small ESP32 sensor nodes, each logging data from onboard sensors and sending it over a CAN bus to a central hub, which forwards it to the ground station and stores it on board.
Key dates
| When | What |
|---|---|
| This semester | Interviews and onboarding |
| November 30, 2026 | Launch Canada Initial Design Review (IDR) for the 2027 rocket |
| January 31, 2027 | Preliminary Design Review (PDR) |
| Winter 2027 | Pioneer repair and refly, once a launch site is confirmed |
| Mid-August 2027 | Launch Canada 2027 (date estimated) |
Teams
Volunteers join one of five areas, and can help a second one once they are settled.
- Electronics: PCBs, firmware, the CAN bus protocol, avionics wiring, ground station software.
- Mechanical: CAD, 3D printing, airframe layup, assembly and fit checks.
- Admin: project schedule, design review documents, safety records.
- Marketing: social media, photo and video, website content.
- Business: sponsorship, fundraising, purchasing.
What we expect
- Show up to your team's weekly check-in, or tell your lead before you miss it.
- Finish what you take on, or hand it back early so someone else can pick it up.
- If we do not hear from you for two weeks, a lead will message you. After that your spot may be given to someone on the waitlist.
- Document your work so the next person can continue it.
What you get
- A named role on a real flight project, with a title we can confirm to employers.
- A recommendation letter from your lead after a full term of steady work.
- Skills endorsements on LinkedIn.
- If you opt in, your résumé can be shared with our sponsors. This is never done without your permission.
Volunteering here does not promise a job or co-op placement.
Safety
Black powder and ejection charges are handled only by a licensed mentor. Students do the calculations and design reviews, and never prepare or fire charges on their own. All ground tests happen under a mentor's supervision.
How joining works
- Pick a role from the Open volunteer roles tab and send an application with your résumé.
- A short interview with the team lead.
- A two-week trial task, paired with a current member. For example, model a simple bracket or run one test print.
- After the trial you take ownership of a named part of the rocket, for example the vent bay coupler or the electronics sled, so your work has your name on it.
01
Come to a Friday meeting
5–7 pm in the SSF clubs room. Just show up and say hi.
02
Pick a role
Filter by area and read what you'd do. You can switch later.
03
Apply when roles open
Roles are posted above and the handbook explains the rest. We reply to your Seneca email within 5 days.
04
First task, first week
You'll be paired with a subteam lead right away.
What the subteams do
Here's what you'd actually be doing this year. You can switch later, and plenty of people help on two.
Airframe
- Rebuilding Pioneer's bulkhead with a G10 fibreglass plate
- Fibreglass layup and epoxy work for the 2027 airframe
- Fins, fit checks and OpenRocket simulations
Avionics & recovery
- Wiring and testing the EasyMini altimeter stacks and GPS trackers
- Designing power and flight boards in KiCad
- Ground ejection tests and packing parachutes
Payload
- Building and testing ESP32-C6 sensor nodes with IMUs sensors
- Writing the CAN bus firmware that ties the nodes together
- Getting data down to the ground over LoRa
Ground software & data
- Our ground station in Python, FastAPI and PostgreSQL
- Working out how much 24 identical sensors disagree in one flight
Operations
- Sponsorship outreach and funding requests
- Events, workshops and outreach
- Photos, socials and this website