Autonomous re-entry system technology demonstrator for sounding rockets: Development of an automated control system as recovery device for precise landing of sounding rockets

The Nimbus Project team, made of young engineers and university students, is developing an Autonomous Re-Entry System (ARES) based on a controlled paraglider. The target is to use the ARES to autonomously recover a reusable sounding rocket in a specific area dedicated for landing. The system is mainly divided in two parts: the paraglider wing with a traditional configuration of a ram-air parachute and the control box which houses the main control electronics. Furthermore, the sounding rocket is attached to the control box and a ground station receives telemetry or sends telecommands for both the rocket and the control box. In order to test the system in-flight independently from the launch of a rocket, a fully functional Technology Demonstrator has been developed. It is built from Commercial-Off-The-Shelf items and components and from custom composite parts. The mass of the wing is about 200g for a surface of 1.1m2 and the control box mass is 550g. The electronics communicates through telemetry and telecommands with a ground PC. Attitude and position sensors are used in the control loop and three modes of operation can be selected. The ARES has been already flight tested in direct control mode.