Project brief
Complete telemetry and command system for a two-stage sounding rocket research vehicle including the onboard RF electronics, data acquisition unit, and ground station receiver with mission control software. Handles 128 sensor channels at 1kHz sample rate, transmits real-time data at S-band, and maintains two-way encrypted command uplink throughout the flight profile.
The record describes onboard electronics and ground-station software as one telemetry system. The visual explanation shows data flow without inventing flight traces.
The engineering challenge
Maintain a clear telemetry path from distributed vehicle sensors to ground monitoring and post-flight analysis.
Engineering approach
- Group sensor acquisition into structured telemetry packets.
- Separate telemetry, command authentication, and onboard logging functions.
- Account for radio-link changes in the receiver processing and ground display path.
Features & capabilities
- S-band transmitter: 5W at 2.2–2.3 GHz with BPSK modulation
- 128-channel DAQ: thermocouples, pressure sensors, accelerometers at 1kHz
- AES-256 encrypted command uplink with sequence numbering
- CCSDS packet protocol compliance for packet structuring
- Ground station: 3m parabolic dish, 15dB/K G/T, tracking mount
- Real-time 3D trajectory display with predicted impact zone
- Post-flight reconstruction from onboard flash logger (16GB)
- Doppler correction for S-band link during high-velocity boost phase
Software & engineering tools
STM32H7, Si4463 RF IC, LNA (NF 0.8dB), GNU Radio, Python, CCSDS, AES-256-GCM