# Building rockets, kind of (2017)

> Joining the electronics department of Skyward Experimental Rocketry as a first-year Politecnico student, working on the power management system for the Hermes rocket — and learning the hard way why they didn't want freshmen.

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- Last edited: 2026-07-26T11:07:45.359Z

This was 2017. As I was starting my university studies at [Politecnico di Milano](https://massimo.context-use.com/p/about/chapters/2017-2020_politecnico/story), SpaceX was demonstrating to the world that the sky was no longer the limit.

![SpaceX's Falcon Heavy test flight](https://assets.massimo.context-use.com/a/about/projects/2017_building-rockets/falcon-heavy){size=large align=center}

After building [an alarm clock](https://massimo.context-use.com/p/about/projects/2015_alarm-clock/story) and [a robotic hand](https://massimo.context-use.com/p/about/projects/2016-2017_robotic-hand/story), I wanted to build rockets. That's why I joined the electronics department of [Skyward Experimental Rocketry](https://skywarder.eu/).

![Skyward's recruitment poster at Politecnico](https://assets.massimo.context-use.com/a/about/projects/2017_building-rockets/recruitment-poster){layout=half}
![The patch of Skyward's electronics department: ubicumque energia est](https://assets.massimo.context-use.com/a/about/projects/2017_building-rockets/elc-dept-patch){layout=half}

During the selection process, they told me that they didn't want first-year bachelor students: we had no idea yet of how time-consuming the regular studies would be, nor whether we would have any spare time left to dedicate to Skyward. I was quite optimistic, and managed to get a spot in the team anyway, working on the power management system for the upcoming [Hermes](https://skywarder.eu/projects/hermes-v0/) rocket, which would replace the previous [Rocksanne](https://skywarder.eu/projects/rocksanne-i-x-2014/).

![The team at work](https://assets.massimo.context-use.com/a/about/projects/2017_building-rockets/team-at-work){layout=third}
![The rocket on the ground...](https://assets.massimo.context-use.com/a/about/projects/2017_building-rockets/rocket-on-the-ground){layout=third}
![...and taking off](https://assets.massimo.context-use.com/a/about/projects/2017_building-rockets/rocket-launch){layout=third}

As soon as I joined the team, I realized that even though I knew more about electronics than the average student, I didn't know shit compared to the people working there (mostly master's students or last-year bachelors). While I was struggling to design really basic circuits, the team was building boards that seemed engineered by a real company — which made [my board for the robotic hand](https://massimo.context-use.com/p/about/projects/2016-2017_robotic-hand/story) look like a piece of shit.

![My struggle: a really basic circuit taking shape](https://assets.massimo.context-use.com/a/about/projects/2017_building-rockets/my-schematic){layout=third}
![The team's work: one of Skyward's boards](https://assets.massimo.context-use.com/a/about/projects/2017_building-rockets/team-board){layout=third}
!["It's a trap!" — boards ready for the rocket](https://assets.massimo.context-use.com/a/about/projects/2017_building-rockets/its-a-trap-boards){layout=third}

After the first couple of weeks of introductions, the lectures started picking up, and I was struggling to stay afloat. Having to commute for more than one hour each way between Como and Milan, I simply couldn't keep up, and I had to quit Skyward after bringing only a little contribution. When they told me it would be difficult, I didn't believe them — but eventually I had to give up and focus fully on my studies.

That marked the start of [three years of darkness](https://massimo.context-use.com/p/about/chapters/2017-2020_politecnico/story), where my days were consumed by lectures and train rides, with no time for side projects.