Most hobby rockets come home under a parachute, because recovery is a solved problem in this hobby. This build throws that out: it is a solid motor rocket with custom thrust vector control, and the aim is a propulsive vertical landing in the style of Falcon 9. For a first rocket that is a bold brief, and the work behind it looks serious.
The layout is a central core flanked by two detachable side boosters. Steering comes from a gimbal driven by two micro servos through linkage pushrods, with ten degrees of deflection in each axis. The electronics stack carries a buzzer, terminal blocks and a microSD card reader breakout. Airframe sections were drawn up in Autodesk Fusion 360, and Python simulation scripts back the whole design.
What stands out to me is the discipline of the test programme. A static fire was run on a wooden A-frame swing structure, and the closing analysis shows the telemetry from that test correlating with the simulation models. PID controller parameters were tuned using multi-panel trajectory and attitude plots, a far more careful route than eyeballing gains. CAD previews of a launch pad structure for an upcoming flight test exist as well, so the next step is already in motion.
The open question is the touchdown itself. Folding-out air brakes are planned to hit the exact speed needed while falling, and the landing legs are meant to be stiff and big to maximise the chance of staying upright. A retro motor may also be used if a little extra slowdown is needed. Whether all of that comes together on the first landing attempt is the part I am most curious about.
Project by SHKYERA Industries. Watch it on their YouTube channel: