Arcturus – Design och konstruktion av en vektorstyrd modellraket

Sammanfattning

The goal of the project was to design and build a thrust vector controlled (TVC)model rocket, with an aim to stabilize the rocket with active control. The aim wassplit into three parts: (1) simulation; (2) static test with free rotation; and (3)free launch. To comply with Swedish laws, the rocket was restricted to maximumweight of 500 g, with a maximum 100 g reserved for propellant. With these designlimitations in mind, the rocket body and systems for both the electronics, TVC,and parachute were custom made, with the goal to minimize weight. The designedrocket weighed a total of 499,2 g with propellant. However, parts like the customflight computer did not work as intended, thus a new makeshift solution was requiredfor launch. After the rocket was designed and built, three static test launches andone live flight were executed. Even though the simulations gave promising results,none of the launches proved successful. This could be due to a discrepancy betweensimulation and reality. In the end, the goal was achieved, but the aim failed on allthree parts, which could have been remedied by a longer research and developmentphase.