Space Apps Challenge 2018

Space Panda | Do YOU Know When the Next Rocket Launch Is?

Awards & Nominations

Space Panda has received the following awards and nominations. Way to go!

Global Nominee

The Challenge | Do YOU Know When the Next Rocket Launch Is?

Create a tool to track international rocket launch information.

Rocket Pal

Discover the achievements of international space exploration, and witness history in the making!

Space Panda

BACKGROUND

From Galileo and Newton to modern space agencies, mankind's ability to explore beyond our pale blue dot has only been made possible by the efforts of various individuals and organisations around the globe. Ever since the space race commenced in 1957, each mission has served as a precursor to a more advanced one; providing our species with a grander understanding of the universe. Consequently, all modern day missions are a result of learnings that have been acquired from previous endeavours. In a day and age where international cooperation is ever increasing, it is imperative that we recognise the achievements of every organisation and company that has contributed to the understanding of our place in the cosmos.

Hence, we developed Rocket Pal - a web application that allows users to view past and upcoming international launches, and track missions that are currently in progress.

PROBLEMS WE ARE SOLVING

  • Currently, there is no central database which contains all rocket launch information from every organisation and agency around the world. Therefore, there is no easy way to determine when the next rocket launch is without scouring through various websites and sources.
  • Space enthusiasts would like to keep track of milestone moments in historical space missions. We provide the ability for users to monitor the status of past missions and discover the impacts they have on our understanding today.
  • Our application provides a more engaging experience for the user, as it features an interactive map and user-friendly interface.

OUR SOLUTION

  • We built a cloud-based web application to provide rocket launch information across different geographical zones. Our intuitive design showcases upcoming launches.
  • We pull real-time information to update our users with the progress of current missions.

UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITIONS

  • Easy to access - centralised hub to acquire rocket launch information without needing to jump between websites.
  • Intuitive design - An easily navigable world map and count-down circle design.
  • Dynamic content from NASA sites and other space agency sites.
  • Utilised open source technology.

WHAT OUR APPLICATION DOES

Our application empowers space enthusiasts to be informed of future launches with ease. It also enables them to track the progress of current space missions and view key historic snapshots of completed missions.

For our MVP, we pulled rocket launch information from various sources for the next 2 months (Oct - Dec, 2018) as well as information about some notable historical missions.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

With your help, we’d like to develop the following features to engage a wider audience within Rocket Pal:

  • Broader database of rocket launches (longer time frame), rockets, satellites, space centers.
  • Enriched content to appeal to broader audience and attract more enthusiasts. Appeal to general public by integrating astronomical phenomenons (meteor showers, planetary viewing, eclipses), realtime ISS flyby, observatory data, space-related information, etc.
  • Crowd source community anchoring Wikipedia in space domain.
  • Cross platform deployment (e.g. mobile, etc.).

TECHNOLOGY STACK AND RESOURCE USED

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SpaceApps is a NASA incubator innovation program.