Flight computer
A custom board that measures, decides and records.
- Brain32-bit microcontroller
- Attitude6-axis IMU (gyro + accel)
- AltitudeBarometric altimeter
- DataOnboard flight logging
- RecoveryApogee deployment output
01Personal rocketry
Building my own flight computer
A thrust-vector-controlled rocket, designed, printed and flown in-house. Instead of buying avionics, I'm engineering my own to bring the cost down and understand every part of the stack.
In development
Flight results coming soon
02Mission brief
Commercial flight computers are one of the most expensive parts of a small rocket. So I'm building mine from the ground up: sensors, firmware and control.
The goal is a rocket that steers itself during the burn by tilting its motor a few degrees, the same idea, at hobby scale, that full-size launch vehicles use to stay upright. An onboard computer reads its orientation hundreds of times a second and corrects the gimbal in real time.
Every structural part is printed on my own printer, and the solid motors are ones I have already built and fired. Designing the electronics myself closes the loop: the whole vehicle becomes something I understand, can repair, and can iterate on cheaply.
03Vehicle systems
Thrust vector control
A two-axis gimbal tilts the motor to keep the rocket on its path.
- Mount2-axis servo gimbal
- TravelSmall deflection, ≈ ±5°
- ControlPID attitude loop
- ValidationBench & static tests first
3D-printed airframe
Printed in-house on a QIDI Max4, so parts can be redesigned and reprinted overnight.
- Build volume390 × 390 × 340 mm
- HotendUp to 370 °C
- ChamberHeated, ≈ 65 °C
- Why it mattersEngineering-grade filaments
KNSU solid motors
Potassium-nitrate / sugar motors I have already built and fired.
- PropellantKNSU, 65 / 35
- Typical Isp≈ 125–130 s
- NextThrust-curve measurement
04Control loop
Sense. Decide. Steer. Hundreds of times a second.
- 01Sense
The IMU measures rotation rate and acceleration; the barometer tracks altitude.
- 02Estimate
Firmware fuses the readings into the rocket's current orientation.
- 03Decide
A PID controller compares orientation to vertical and computes a correction.
- 04Steer
Servos tilt the motor mount a few degrees to push the nose back on course.
- 05Record
Every reading is logged so each flight becomes data for the next design.
05Roadmap
- Phase 1
Solid motors
KNSU motors built and fired.
Complete - Phase 2
Flight computer
Board design, sensor bring-up and flight firmware.
In progress - Phase 3
TVC gimbal
Printed two-axis mount, servo tuning and bench tests.
Up next - Phase 4
Static fire
Measured thrust curve and closed-loop test with the gimbal.
Planned - Phase 5
First flight
Guided flight, recovered vehicle and logged data.
Planned
06Results
Videos, images and flight data are coming soon.
Static fire · videoAwaiting test
Flight computer · build logIn progress
Telemetry · altitude & attitudeAwaiting flight
Testing follows amateur rocketry safety practices and FAA Part 101 rules for amateur rockets.
Follow the build.
I'm looking for an aerospace engineering internship or research role.