🚀 Sounding Rocket Descent Simulation (MATLAB/Simulink)
This project simulates the descent and parachute recovery of a sounding rocket from ~100 km altitude. It includes both a single-run descent and a Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate landing dispersion under varying wind and initial conditions.
The simulation is built using MATLAB and Simulink.
✨ Features
Simulates rocket descent from 100,000 m
Parachute deployment at a user-defined altitude
Drag model with adjustable mass, area, Cd
Optional wind gust disturbance
Monte Carlo batch simulation (100 runs)
3D trajectory plots
Geographic ground tracks on satellite maps
📁 Included Files
ParachuteSimV1_Main.m Main MATLAB script that sets parameters, runs the Simulink model, generates plots, and performs Monte Carlo analysis.
ParachuteSimV1.slx Simulink model implementing descent dynamics, drag, wind, and environment.
🧪 Monte Carlo Simulation
The Monte Carlo section varies:
Apogee height
Parachute opening altitude
North/East initial velocities
Wind disturbance timing
This produces a spread of descent trajectories and landing locations.
📊 Output Plots
The script automatically creates:
3D descent path
Satellite map ground track
Monte Carlo trajectory cloud
Landing dispersion map
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/ParachuteSimV1.git
Open MATLAB and run:
ParachuteSimV1_Main
Ensure ParachuteSimV1.slx is in the same folder.
📝 Notes
Script uses local latitude/longitude and date/time for converting trajectories to geographic coordinates.
Atmospheric density is currently simplified but can be replaced with a higher-fidelity model like NRLMSISE-00.
Parallel Computing Toolbox improves Monte Carlo speed.
Author
Hrsh Shah Aerospace engineering & recovery subsystems lead (AIAA competition team). Specializing in high-altitude flight modeling, parachute systems, and Monte Carlo analysis.