u/Fast_Bat_9771

Hi everyone! Yes, I'm 14 and as some of you may already know, I’ve been working on Project Lyra, an autonomous rocket project designed to control itself and eventually land upright completely autonomously.

The rocket uses an ESP32 based flight computer with live wireless telemetry using WebSocket, onboard stabilization, autonomous active aerodynamic control correction systems, parachute ejection system, landing leg system and a working TVC (thrust vector control) module. Most of the structural parts are fully 3D printed using ABS, and I’ve been spending a lot of time on CAD, improving the program, and improving stability & performance.

I've just finished working on the TVC system module. Unfortunately I probably won’t be able to test it with actual rocket motors because propulsion and explosives are heavily restricted in my country. However I'll make it so that the TVC sensitivity & orientations depends on external factors such as pitch,, roll, yaw & vertical velocity. For now I’m mainly focused on building a fully working prototype and learning as much as I can along the way.

I’m doing this mostly to learn more about rockets, embedded systems, coding, aerodynamics, materials science & career paths so any feedback or advice would really mean a lot. Thank you! I’m interested in any student programs, lab tours, internships, competitions, or learning opportunities in aerospace, robotics, or embedded systems. If anyone knows of anything I could apply for or look into, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you!

Hi reddit, I'd like to to share an update on my rocketry project. I've not made much progression lately due to other life events such as school and other activities. I've hit a wall lately with 3D filliments and 3D printer issues due to its unavailability. So I decided to emphasise on software upgrades.

I’ve added calibration which takes in 100 recent data, calculates its average to calibrates the rockets position. For example, the rocket sensors maybe tilted but the rocket is upright.

I have integrated web socket which is the same protocol NASA uses for its real time data visualization and telemantary. Essentially enabling near zero latency wireless transmission by using a communication protocol that uses full duplex, bi directional communication over a single persistent TCP connection. Which cut out latency from my original HTTP request response model.

As shown in this video the latency is very low when compared to my earlier telemantary model.

I have also implemented fall detection (decrease in g force, altitude or vertical velocity) with deployment sequencing for the parachute servo and the landing leg servo

Another upgrade I did is with the data filtering and AI control. Complementary filters are added to reduce data noise.

And now there is an AI model that I can talk to and control the rocket, it will be accessing the situation of the rocket during free fall and decisions can be carried out autonomously if given permission. It will report if extreme values are detected by the sensor, follow commands just as "deploy legs" to deploy the legs and you can also chat to it just like F.R.I.D.A.Y from Ironman. The AI will not be based on the microprocessor since it is resource heavy, instead I'll have the AI model based on my laptop and allow it to interact with the live telemantry control and data stream.

For example tuning the sensitivity of the fins depending on velocity or vectoring. Or suspending fins during specific moments such as parachute deployment to reduce tangles and instability.

I’ve also done sensor upgrades sensors to improve data and reliability. Originally from this bmp180 to a more reliable bmp280, with improved accuracy & reliability.

Initially on my last post, there were only 300 lines of code, now it is well over 800 (30,000 characters).

I’m building most of this with 3D printed parts, so if anyone knows good filament brands or companies open to supporting student projects, I’d like to connect.