My first real, complex PCB that I’ve designed mostly myself for our Horizon Aerospace rocket competing in Launch Canada 2026. Learned PCB design from the ground up using Altium to create a custom flight computer tailored to our exact mission needs.
This system handles everything from active flight control (thrust vector control + roll fins) to parachute deployment and telemetry - way more capable than off-the-shelf flight computers.
Core Capabilities
Advanced Sensing & State Estimation
- A suite of sensors provides precise in-flight orientation, altitude, positioning, and environmental data.
- Real-time sensor fusion enables reliable flight state awareness under dynamic launch conditions.
Active Control Systems
Our system directly drives:
- TVC (Thrust Vector Control) for fine pitch and yaw adjustments by actuating the motor mount.
- Roll control fins to stabilize the vehicle’s axial rotation during ascent.
This allows our rocket to maintain a targeted trajectory and maximize altitude efficiency — critical for competitive scoring.
Intelligent Telemetry & Logging
- Continuously logs flight data onboard for post-flight analysis.
- Streams down real-time telemetry via a long-range radio link to a custom ground dashboard, ensuring we can monitor vital parameters live throughout the flight.
Automated Recovery & Payload Handling
- Precisely times and triggers the firing of ejection charges for parachute deployment based on altitude and velocity data, ensuring safe descent and recovery.
- Interfaces with payload systems (e.g., onboard cameras) to start recordings or experiments at specific mission phases.
Technical Highlights
- MCU Platform: STM32 microcontroller running a custom embedded application optimized for deterministic control loops.
- Multi-modal sensors: VRU for orientation, barometer for altitude, GPS for positioning, along with additional environment sensors for temp and humidity.
- Secure, noise-resistant power architecture: Designed to handle the harsh electrical environment of a high-thrust rocket launch.
- Custom PCB: Created in Altium, incorporating tight layout constraints to maintain signal integrity for high-speed sensor and control lines.
Current Status
Designed a feature-packed PCB in Altium with:
- STM32 microcontroller for deterministic control loops
- Multi-sensor suite (IMU, barometer, GPS, temp/humidity)
- Power architecture designed for high-vibration, high-G rocket launches
- Interfaces for TVC actuators, roll fins, ejection charges, and telemetry radio
Ordered the boards through JLCPCB - will be testing and writing firmware soon. Pretty excited to see if everything works when we power it up for the first time.
What I’m Learning
Teaching myself PCB design through this project has been challenging but rewarding. Dealing with signal integrity, power distribution, component selection, and layout constraints for a safety-critical system is way different than simple breakout boards.
Can’t wait to see this fly.