Broadening horizons, advancing technology, and finding a community of like-minded people - that's not rocket science. Yet, sometimes it is. At a ceremony honoring TUM alumni, former and current members of the Scientific Workgroup for Rocketry and Spaceflight (WARR) share how their work in the TUM Student Club has shaped and influenced them and their careers.
Photogenika / TUM Avant-garde since 1962
The Scientific Working Group for Rocket Technology and Space Travel (Wissenschaftliche Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Raketentechnik und Raumfahrt or "WARR" for short), founded in 1962, is one of the oldest student initiatives at TUM. It was launched by Robert Schmucker, once the first aerospace student at TUM, an internationally sought-after rocket expert for decades, and still teaching at age 82. "Back then, there was a meeting of all the major groups working on rockets. The only group not invited was us. So we said: Let's build a rocket and show them what we can do," Schmucker recalls with a smile. And they certainly did.
From launching Germany's first hybrid rocket, Barbarella, to deploying CubeSat satellites into orbit and building an autonomous lab unit for microgravity experiments on the ISS - WARR has been at the forefront of space technology for over six decades. "Anything that carries the WARR name has turned out well," Schmucker sums up. Today, around 400 students volunteer in the club, working closely with the TUM School of Engineering and Design to ensure that in the new space race Germany is not only leading in advanced space technology research and development but also in its commercial applications.
From student club to start-up
Josef Fleischmann also worked on the further development of rocket systems at WARR while studying at TUM; today, he is Chief Technical Officer at Isar Aerospace. He founded the company in 2018 together with two fellow students: "In our mid-20s, we had this crazy idea: Why not try building a launch vehicle to transport satellites into space?" Said and done. Seven years later, Isar Aerospace employs more than 400 people.
For Richard Emeder, a Master's student in Aerospace and currently one of WARR's chairs, stories like these show the enormous potential of student initiatives: "When we see what people like Josef have built in the same rooms we're standing in today, it's incredibly motivating. You really can make things happen - already as a student."
The combination of teaching and practical experience in studies and student clubs at TUM plays a key role: "At other universities, it would have been almost impossible to build a company like Isar Aerospace," Fleischmann notes. Ceyhun Aydin, a Bachelor's student in Aerospace, agrees: "TUM is a place where people come together who want to make something happen." And that, beyond the fascination with space, may be the most important aspect of WARR, says Mareike Ufer, also a student in the Aerospace Bachelor's program: "The technology is amazing, but what's even better is working toward the same goal with people who share your passion."
