Geodetic-based antenna tracking controller for rocket ground stations, computing real-time azimuth and elevation angles from GPS telemetry to maintain directional RF links.
This project implements a real-time antenna tracking algorithm for rocket ground stations. Using live GPS telemetry and known ground station coordinates, it continuously computes azimuth and elevation angles to steer a directional antenna and maintain reliable telemetry reception during flight.
• Real-time azimuth & elevation tracking
• Geodetic (lat, lon, alt) coordinate handling
• ECEF → ENU coordinate transformation
• Hardware-agnostic control output
• Designed for high-dynamics rocket flights
• Convert GPS coordinates to ECEF
• Transform to local ENU frame
• Compute azimuth and elevation angles
• Output commands to antenna control hardware
🗺️ Diagram
In the event of telemetry loss, the system transitions to an intelligent tracking mode that infers and follows the rocket’s most probable trajectory using recent telemetry data, maximizing the likelihood of maintaining a stable telemetry link during unexpected outages.