IREC competition rocket

Purdue Space Program

I replaced the flight computer’s Madgwick filters with custom C++ Kalman filters that adjust for motor vibration. Add one measured result.

Add a short caption.

My role

I work across structures, avionics, and propulsion on the 2026 rocket, and I was elected Systems Engineer for next year’s team. I helped develop the ESP32-based flight computer that drives the active fins. Say what was yours and what was the team’s.

The problem

What the filters had to do and why it was hard with the motor shaking the airframe.

Design decisions

I rewrote the flight software to use modular one-dimensional Kalman filter classes in C++, with measurement noise that adjusts when the motor is vibrating. The filters feed roll stabilization and the state machine. Add why you chose this over Madgwick, with numbers.

Results

Test outcomes, plots, or flight data you’re cleared to share.

What failed and what I learned

One or two honest paragraphs.

Next steps

What you’re doing as Systems Engineer next year.