In an effort to continuously obtain telemetry data, rocket position, and live video feed from the rocket before, during, and after launch, we aimed to construct Antenna Pointers which will autonomously point specific antennas at the rocket. 


This project was done in coordination with the Avionics team. The main goal of Structures was to design and build a physical system, and all electronical components were handled by Avionics. Design files and iteration can be found in the Microsoft Teams drive (Zephyrus → Structures → Antenna Pointer)


Main Objectives:

  1. The antenna pointer shall ping the Flight Computer at appropriate intervals for ranging 
  2. Antenna Pointer shall point antennas to an accuracy of within +/- 2.5 degrees of the rockets
  3. The Antenna Pointer must be able to rotate about the azimuth axis by 360 degrees
  4. The Antenna Pointer must be able to rotate about the elevation axis by 90 degrees from the horizon


Design Requirements:

  1. The motor selected for the design must provide enough torque to continuously hold all antennas at location of max torque. 
  2. The Antenna Pointer must be structurally stable under working conditions and different environments, such as high winds or unstable ground 

Bonus Design Choices:

  1. The Antenna Pointer can be modular to allow for easier assembling and disassembly
  2. The Antenna Pointer should be relatively inexpensive


Overall Result:

From the URRG Test Launch of Zephyrus, we had one of two Antenna Pointers working, and was able to have constant telemetry data and even video footage transmission during the flight. We gained a lot of knowledge about the design to implementation of the Antenna Pointers, and will work towards a better result in the next project. 

WALL-E Antenna Pointer Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NoxQLzcQuNkql9nZa-pmSVZ2Q7ZT3nIR/view?usp=sharing





  • No labels