Project Vaibhav ✦

Experimental sounding rocket developed to validate Space Club RIT's first in-house flight computer, sensor stack, and parachute deployment logic under real launch conditions.

Apogee

~ 877 m AGL

Verified via barometric data

Max Velocity

≈ 120 m/s

Simulation closely matched

Avionics

5+ sensors

Full dataset recovered

Vaibhav serves as Space Club RIT's first integrated flight test of a student-built rocket with a custom avionics bay. The mission aimed to prove that our barometric apogee detection, data logging, and single-event recovery systems could operate reliably from launch to touchdown.

Mission Objectives

Validate barometric apogee detection and parachute deployment timing
Record clean acceleration and altitude data throughout flight

What's New?

Custom PCB with microcontroller, IMU, barometric sensor
Redundant recovery logic with time-based fallback
Rocket Achieved speed of 154 m/sec

Flight Highlights

K950 Classs motor achieved impulse of 1441 Ns.
Apogee detected within expected time window
Clean parachute deployment and controlled descent
Complete dataset recovered for analysis

Team & Next Steps

Executed by the rocketry vertical of Space Club RIT. Lessons are being used to scale towards higher-altitude vehicles with advanced guidance, staging, and recovery architectures.

Flight Video

A brief clip from the Vaibhav test flight showcasing launch, ascent, and recovery phases.