Active Control Stabilization of High Power Rocket

Abstract

High power rockets could become dynamically unstable due to outside disturbances after takeoff. The instability is augmented when the rocket is slow off the launch rail, which happens when the thrust-to-weight ratio is less than 5:1. Due to these reasons, the objective of this project was to design and build an active control system that will make sure the rocket follows a straight path all the way to apogee. This will be done through a model-based design approach, in which a 6DOF mathematical model of the flight dynamics will be created