Launching Rockets with Python
summary
University rocketry team launches several 12ft competition rockets in 2025 and 2026 using a custom Python process manager called the Ground Control Station (GCS) that runs on a Raspberry Pi at under 5% CPU, integrates dual LoRa/LAN, and talks to a student-built flight computer nicknamed Australis flight computer. The system boots everything with a single command rocket run, uses software‑in‑the‑loop and GitHub Actions black‑box tests, recorded live telemetry at IREC 2026 and won first place while the rocket survived a ~250 Gs impact.
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chapters (15)
- 0:00Rocket launching with Python
- 1:08Team and competition overview
- 3:00Ground control design
- 6:12USB controller integration
- 7:37Automated startup with Python
- 9:22Logging and debugging
- 11:05Telemetry visualization API
- 13:52Live launch and recovery
- 15:17Testing flight and ground systems
- 17:45GitHub Actions testing workflow
- 19:11Refactoring C++ to Python
- 20:35Teamwork and code quality
- 21:39Radio hardware fixes
- 22:43Awards and results
- 23:44Q&A
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