Mechanical Recovery system

For my senior design project I led a team to develop a mechanical recovery deployment system for high powered rockets. There were three versions made. Highlights of each are below in chronological order.

V0

This was a proof-of-concept design using a small rocket body and inexpensive hardware. We performed a low-altitude test launch on 5/4/24. The test was a moderate success, with one of two parachutes deploying successfully. We planned several improvements, which we expect will make the system significantly more reliable and robust.

V1.0

The deployment mechanism was redesigned for a larger diameter rocket. to use a single latch to deploy the nosecone and drogue parachute. A three-ring mechanism was used to deploy the main parachute. The recovery sequence was controlled primarily by a COTS flight computer. Additionally, a manual backup trigger was created, which allowed a user to trigger the deployment sequence from a ground station using a Yagi directional antenna to communicate with the on-board arduino. System completely failed to deploy during test flight. Failure analysis was performed and changes implemented for next version. Most likely culprit was loss of power due to extended time on the pad before launch.

V1.1

This version was built in a roughly 2 weeks after V1.0 failed. It was not launched due to schedule limitations of the launch site and the semester.

Notable changes:

1. Improved power system - different battery chemistry & backup battery

2. New nosecone design - shorter length and stronger spring to make ejection more agressive

Teammates: Alejandra Alvarez (Rigging & Simulation), Gamaliel Avalos Diaz (Airframe), Jordan Lopez (Avionics)

Special thanks to CSULB IEEE club for support with RF system