Developed a deployable radio antenna payload for the Purdue University team's entry in the NASA SL competition. The payload includes a spoolable dipole antenna that remains stowed inside the airframe during flight.
After the software logs all flight events including landing, a mechanical latch is released to disconnect the parachute and prevent dragging. The mechanical system then begins to orient the antenna to vertical via a Geneva mechanism until it is aligned with the correct slit in the payload airframe. Once vertical, the antenna is extended away from the rocket body to maximize signal strength and line-of-sight. The onboard transceiver, powered by a dedicated battery pack, then transmits temperature, apogee, and elapsed time data to the ground station to satisfy NASA requirements.