Rocket Avionics & GNC Systems
Developing avionics and GNC subsystems for a high-power amateur rocket pursuing NAR Level 1 Certification. Designing safety-critical electronics for arming, ignition, stage separation, parachute deployment, telemetry, and ground-station comms.
As Electrical Team Lead for AIAA at URI, I am leading a team to design the complete avionics suite for a high-power rocket targeting NAR Level 1 Certification. The system includes custom PCBs for arming, ignition, stage separation, data acquisition, and dual-deploy parachute recovery.
The GNC subsystem features an IMU-driven flight computer running state estimation and apogee detection algorithms. Telemetry is streamed over a 900 MHz radio link to a custom ground station, providing real-time altitude, velocity, and orientation data throughout the flight.
Every circuit in the stack is designed to meet NAR safety standards, with redundant continuity checks, hardware interlocks, and fail-safe pyrotechnic drivers to ensure reliable operation under the extreme vibration and acceleration environment of a rocket launch.
Current goal is to have the system ready for launch by May 2026.
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