Project Overview
The Yellow Jacket Space Program is Georgia Tech’s student-run rocketry team. As Avionics Responsible Engineer, I work on the control simulation and avionics software for a hopper rocket — a vehicle designed for short vertical flight and controlled landing.
Key Contributions
- Roll control simulation: Simulated roll control for the hopper rocket in Simulink, modeling PID response to compare Electric Ducted Fans against Cold Gas Thrusters across detumble time, steady-state regulation, and propellant efficiency.
- Pump avionics: Developed avionics software for a subscale LOX electric pump, including MAX6675 thermocouple readout, PWM motor control, and an over-temperature failsafe.
- Validation: Validated the pump avionics through a successful water flow test.
Roll Control Trade Study
Hopper rockets need active roll control to remain stable during flight. The Simulink model compares two actuation approaches — Electric Ducted Fans and Cold Gas Thrusters — under a common PID control structure, evaluating each on how quickly it detumbles the vehicle, how well it holds steady-state attitude, and how efficiently it uses propellant. This trade study informs which actuator the team carries forward into hardware.
Pump Avionics
The subscale LOX electric pump needs closed-loop thermal monitoring to operate safely. The avionics software reads pump temperature via a MAX6675 thermocouple interface, drives the pump motor with PWM, and includes an over-temperature failsafe to cut power before thermal limits are exceeded. This was validated through a successful water flow test ahead of cryogenic testing.