As I watched my model rocket slowly descend to the ground, I quickly realized we weren’t going to recover it, and it was heading into the sea. The following one fell and disappeared into the woods. Every rocket I’ve launched has been unrecoverable, causing me to lose the very expensive flight computer.

Frustrated, I began finding ways to improve my recovery rate. Experimenting with reaction wheels, airbrakes, and even installing propellers, none showed promising results. Then, I closely examined the aerodynamic forces applied to the rocket, and a light bulb lit up: why don’t we just install a wing? After all, we are trying to recover rockets falling in the atmosphere.

Trying not to interfere with the fuel space and payload capacity, I designed a foldable wing that unfolds using the body of the rocket itself. Simply put, the wing is the side body of the rocket sliced out, not taking up space inside for housing. Additionally, we have horizontal and vertical stabilizers to accompany the wing.

To glide the rocket back, I created a flight computer equipped with GPS, barometric pressure sensors, a gyroscope, and an accelerometer. The flight computer then records the initial location and, as it falls, compares its current position with the starting one. It uses this information to calculate a glide path, and with the help of PID feedback loop, it stays close to the assigned glide path, enabling the rocket to glide back to base.

Take a closer look at Levithan