The first test flight of Astronav marks an important milestone in the development of our flight controller for model rockets. This video shows how the system performs during an actual launch and how it tracks the rocket’s key flight parameters in real time.
What Happens During Flight 1?
In this flight the Astronav module is installed inside the rocket to measure important data such as altitude, velocity and flight duration. Once the rocket launches the module sends live data wirelessly to the handheld base station.
The base station displays the data live on screen so you can follow the rocket’s ascent and monitor the flight as it happens. This includes the rocket’s maximum altitude reached and the speed during flight.
Great Success and Lessons Learned
I am happy to say that this launch was a success! However it was not perfect and there is still a lot of room for improvement. Two main issues must be fixed before the next flight.
The first is the onboard camera. It failed during the first flight and unfortunately also failed this time. I believe the cause is vibrations corrupting the micro SD card.
The second issue is the flight controller which was unable to launch the rocket. I was still using design V2 which is now very outdated. It was nerve wracking to use because it launched the rocket on a fixed timer. Once powered on I had six minutes to close everything up and move to safety. Looking back I’m not proud of this setup it was very very unsafe!
Additionally the PCB refused to ignite the E Match. This was likely due to the chip on the PCB that converts power from 7.2 volts to 5 volts overheating. This may have happened because I directly soldered the camera to the chip… oops.
Why Is This Test Flight Important?
Real time data gives immediate feedback on the rocket’s performance helping identify any issues early on. The wireless telemetry improves safety by providing insight into flight dynamics. The user friendly base station makes it easy for anyone interested in model rocketry to operate and understand the system.
What Makes Astronav Stand Out?
Astronav is designed for hobbyists students and makers who want an accessible and expandable flight controller. It not only transmits live data but also logs flight information for later analysis.
This first flight proves that the system works reliably and provides valuable data to help improve future launches and experiments.
Sponser
This video is sponsered by Polymaker. They produce awesome 3D printing filaments. Watch the video down below for more information!
If you have questions or want to know more about Astronav just get in touch!
