SYS.CANSAT // SUBORBITAL TO ORBITAL STUDENT ENGINEERING HUB·8 GLOBAL PROGRAMS·4 DETERMINISTIC LAB SIMULATORS

CanSat & Model Satellite Engineering Hub

First proposed by Bob Twiggs in 1998—one year before the CubeSat standard (1999) and eleven years before the PocketQube standard (2009)—the CanSat and two-stage Model Satellite represent the foundational proving ground for aerospace systems engineering. Use the deterministic workbench below to size parachutes and opening shock loads, tune MEMS barometric apogee filters, audit CSV telemetry links and launch-rail battery budgets, and prepare for international PDR, CDR, and FRR milestones.

Interactive Workbench (4 Simulators)Global Competitions (8)CanSat → 1P/1U Orbital BridgeFlight SW State Machine8 Critical Failure ModesSatWiki: CanSat (SQ-FF-006)

SYS.SIMULATOR // CANSAT & MODEL SATELLITE ENGINEERING WORKBENCH

Deterministic Descent, Altimeter, Telemetry & Separation Sizer

Coupled troposphere aerodynamics (ICAO Doc 7488 ISA + Knacke 1992 Pflanz opening-shock method), MEMS barometer apogee filtering, RF link & launch-rail standby battery sizing, and NiCr thermal release calculations for PDR/CDR documentation.

AERODYNAMIC & DEPLOYMENT PARAMETERS

Simple 6–8 gore flat polygon; requires a 10–15% apex spill hole to damp pendulum oscillation.

Touchdown Rate v_t

8.76 m/s

Effective S = 895 cm²

Flight Duration & Drift

95.0 s

Wind drift: 428 m

Opening Shock (Pflanz)

31.5 N (9.7 G)

Shroud SF: 21.2×

Target Canopy Sizing

10 m/s → Ø29.8 cm

5 m/s → Ø59.6 cm

  • Single-Stage Descent (Flat Circular (Standard Ripstop Nylon))
  • Horizontal Wind Drift (m, at 4.5 m/s wind)
Simulated Descent Profile: Altitude AGL (m) vs. Elapsed Flight Time (s)0213425638850024487196Elapsed Descent Time (s)Altitude AGL / Horizontal Drift (m)Single-Stage Descent (Flat Circular (Standard Ripstop Nylon))Horizontal Wind Drift (m, at 4.5 m/s wind)
Show the data as a table
Elapsed Descent Time (s)Single-Stage Descent (Flat Circular (Standard Ripstop Nylon))Horizontal Wind Drift (m, at 4.5 m/s wind)
08500
24632108
48416216
71212319
96——

MEMS BAROMETER & KALMAN / IIR FILTER CONFIGURATION

Drone/CanSat flight-control standard; hardware IIR filter and FIFO prevent packet loss during pyrotechnic ejection.

hPa →702.0 m AGL

Raw vs. Filtered Alt Noise

±2.1 cm RMS

Unfiltered raw: ±6.8 cm

Vertical Velocity σ_vz

±0.75 m/s

Trigger delay: 0.72 s (18 samples)

Ejection Spike Immunity

MODERATE RISK

Min recommended: ≥15 samples

ISA MISSION PRESSURE TABLE (PAD ELEVATION = 150 m ASL)

Flight EventAltitude AGLExpected PressureFirmware Trigger Rule
Launch Pad Baseline (P₀)0.0 m995.36 hPaStore in FRAM/EEPROM on `CMD,CAL`
Stage-2 Separation Threshold400 m948.90 hPaSTATE==DESCENT && h_filt ≤ 400 m for ≥15 samples
Nominal Apogee850 m898.75 hPav_z < −2.0 m/s for ≥15 samples (+600 ms ejection blanking)

RF TRANSCEIVER & LAUNCH-RAIL POWER PROFILE

Standard for AAS US CanSat Competition (ITU Region 2 ISM band; configure NETID/PAN ID per team).

Slant Range & FSPL

1.99 km

FSPL: 97.6 dB

Link Margin

+34.5 dB

Rx: -66.5 dBm

1st Fresnel Zone r₁

12.8 m

Keep Tripod ≥ 2 m AGL

Min 2S Battery (7.4 V)

420 mAh

Total: 3.10 Wh (incl. 35% margin)

INTERACTIVE CSV TELEMETRY PACKET & BANDWIDTH AUDITOR

Paste a sample ASCII CSV telemetry line from your flight firmware to verify field count, byte length, and RF channel utilization at 4 Hz:

Fields: 16Frame Size (incl. CRLF): 107 BThroughput @ 4 Hz: 3424 bpsAir Duty Cycle: 1.71%

NICHROME 80 (NiCr 80/20) THERMAL CUTTER SIZER

Wire Resistance & Dia

0.41 Ω

Ø0.202 mm

Pulse Current & Power

4.60 A

8.6 W on wire

Surface Heat Flux

113.5 W/cm²

Cut time: ~0.25 s

Release Status

OVERCURRENT RISK

Timeout at 2.5 s

OPEN-HARDWARE CANSAT CAD (.STEP / .DXF) & KICAD CIRCULAR PCB GENERATOR

Download standard-compliant mechanical envelopes (Ø66 × 115 mm ESA CanSat cylinder) and a ready-to-route Ø62.0 mm circular KiCad 7/8 PCB template with 4× M3 standoffs on a Ø53.0 mm bolt circle:

SYS.ATLAS // INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CANSAT & MODEL SATELLITE PROGRAMS

Global Competition Specifications & Review Gate Atlas

Comparative mechanical, aerodynamic, RF telemetry, and design-review requirements across major university and high-school CanSat and Model Satellite programs worldwide.

Two-Stage Container–PayloadGlobal / North America · University

AAS Student CanSat Competition

American Astronautical Society (AAS), NASA, NRL & Industry Sponsors

End-to-end planetary probe simulation: rocket ejection, container-payload mid-air separation, controlled autogyro/parafoil descent, shock survival of a fragile internal test article, and portable ground-station telemetry.

ENVELOPE & MASS
Ø125 mm × 310–400 mm cylindrical container housing a separable internal science payload · 600–1,000 g total system mass (mission-guide year dependent, ±5 g tolerance)
APOGEE & DESCENT
670–725 m AGL (sounding rocket deployment near apogee) · Stage 1: ~15 m/s drogue descent; Stage 2 (≤400–500 m): ≤5 m/s parafoil, autogyro, or guided descent
TELEMETRY & RF
900 MHz / 2.4 GHz XBee (PAN/NETID assigned), 1 Hz–4 Hz CSV ASCII frames + onboard/live video
Primary Engineering Bottleneck: Guaranteeing jam-free mechanical separation of the payload from the container under dynamic pendulum oscillation while preserving non-volatile flight state across power brownouts.
Application & Mission ConceptPreliminary Design ReviewCritical Design ReviewFlight Readiness ReviewLaunch Campaign & Post-Flight Review
Official Guide
Standard 330 mL CanSatEurope · High School & Early University

ESA European CanSat Competition

European Space Agency (ESA Education) & ESERO National Offices

Dual-mission structure: mandatory Primary Mission (1 Hz atmospheric temperature and barometric pressure profiling for hypsometric altitude reconstruction) plus an open student-designed Secondary Scientific Mission.

ENVELOPE & MASS
Ø66 mm × 115 mm (standard European 330 mL beverage can volume; parachute stowage external) · 300–350 g (mandatory minimum 300 g ballast requirement for rocket stability)
APOGEE & DESCENT
800–1,000 m AGL (sounding rocket or high-altitude captive drone drop) · 8–11 m/s recommended (ESA European CanSat Guidelines 2024–2025)
TELEMETRY & RF
433 MHz or 868 MHz ISM (LoRa / FSK), ≥1 Hz continuous temperature & barometric pressure profile
Primary Engineering Bottleneck: Fitting EPS, MCU, radio, barometer, battery, and a secondary payload (multispectral camera, gas sensor, or reaction wheel) inside the 393 cm³ Ø66 × 115 mm cylinder while meeting the 20 G shock load requirement.
National ESERO Selection ProposalPreliminary Progress ReportFinal Paper & Technical Readiness InspectionLaunch Campaign & Scientific Jury Presentation
Official Guide
Autonomous Comeback / RoverGlobal / North America · University & Open

ARLISS — A Rocket Launch for International Student Satellites

UNISEC-Global, Stanford SSDL Alumni & AeroPac

The original 1999 CanSat testbed: autonomous guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) from 4 km altitude in high desert winds to reach a designated GPS coordinate with zero human-in-the-loop intervention.

ENVELOPE & MASS
CanSat Class: ≤Ø66 × 240 mm; Open Class: ≤Ø146 × 240 mm (fits AeroPac M-class carrier) · CanSat Class: ≤350 g; Open Class: ≤1,050 g
APOGEE & DESCENT
3,500–4,000 m AGL (11,500–13,000 ft) over Black Rock Desert playa, Nevada · High-altitude drogue/chute deceleration followed by autonomous parafoil, quadrotor, or surface rover
TELEMETRY & RF
Pre-coordinated UHF / 915 MHz / 2.4 GHz telemetry; 100% closed-loop onboard autonomy required for scoring
Primary Engineering Bottleneck: Surviving violent transonic/high-dynamic-pressure parachute deployment shocks at 4,000 m AGL and executing autonomous parachute release + rover/parafoil waypoint navigation across several kilometers.
Design Document & Frequency Coordination FilingBlack Rock Desert On-Site Safety & Structural InspectionHigh-Altitude Carrier Integration & FlightAutonomous GPS Target Distance Measurement
Official Guide
Two-Stage Container–PayloadEurope · University

CNES C’Space International Student Campaign

Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) & Planète Sciences

Rigorous space-agency qualification workflow applied to atmospheric probes, deployable booms, surface landers, and multi-body CanSat formations.

ENVELOPE & MASS
Standard Class: Ø66 × 115 mm; Open Class: Ø120 × 260 mm (deployable mechanisms permitted) · 300–1,000 g depending on class
APOGEE & DESCENT
1,000–1,500 m AGL (Camp de Ger military range) · 7–12 m/s controlled parachute or active aerodynamic braking
TELEMETRY & RF
433 / 868 MHz / 2.4 GHz ground station telemetry with strict CNES range-safety RF qualification
Primary Engineering Bottleneck: Passing CNES/Planète Sciences mechanical, electrical, and RF range-safety qualification checks on the first inspection.
Architectural Definition ReviewPlanète Sciences Qualification & Integration CheckCamp de Ger Range Safety & EMC VerificationFlight & Post-Flight Telemetry Defense
Official Guide
Autonomous Comeback / RoverAsia-Pacific · University

UNISEC-Global CLTP & Japanese Regional CanSat Events (Noshiro / Wakayama / Tanegashima)

University Space Engineering Consortium (UNISEC) & Japanese University Labs

Hands-on systems engineering training (CanSat Leader Training Program — CLTP) and precision autonomous run-back rovers with optical/lidar/GPS terminal guidance.

ENVELOPE & MASS
Ø66 × 115–200 mm CanSat & Rover configurations · 300–1,050 g
APOGEE & DESCENT
100–1,500 m AGL (tethered balloon, drone, and sounding rocket classes) · 5–10 m/s parachute + autonomous surface rover or winged flyback
TELEMETRY & RF
920 MHz / 2.4 GHz telemetry + onboard SD card logging and closed-loop PID heading control
Primary Engineering Bottleneck: Reliable parachute detachment upon ground touchdown so surface wind does not drag the rover away from the target beacon.
Systems Engineering & Work Breakdown ReviewHardware-in-the-Loop & Drop-Test VerificationField Campaign & Post-Mission Root-Cause Presentation
Official Guide
Standard 330 mL CanSatEurope · High School & Early University

ESERO-UK CanSat & UKSEDS Satellite / Rocketry Challenges

ESERO-UK, UK Space Agency & UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space

Atmospheric boundary-layer profiling, nadir earth-observation imaging, and shock-hardened mechanical packaging.

ENVELOPE & MASS
Ø66 mm × 115 mm cylinder (up to 230 mm with externally packed recovery harness) · 300–350 g
APOGEE & DESCENT
400–1,000 m AGL · 8–11 m/s nominal parachute descent
TELEMETRY & RF
433 MHz / 868 MHz LoRa or FSK telemetry to portable Yagi ground station
Primary Engineering Bottleneck: Maintaining uninterrupted UHF/ISM packet reception during high-rate spin and antenna polarization rotation.
Preliminary Design ReportCritical Design & Safety ReviewNational Finals Launch & Data Analysis
Official Guide
Two-Stage Container–PayloadLatin America · University

Ibero-American & Latin American University CanSat Programs (PEU-UNAM / CONAE / AEB)

Programa Espacial Universitario (UNAM), CONAE & Agência Espacial Brasileira (CubeDesign)

Full NASA/ECSS-inspired lifecycle training bridging suborbital CanSat hardware to university CubeSat and PocketQube missions.

ENVELOPE & MASS
Ø66–125 mm cylindrical probes and multi-stage atmospheric payloads · 350–1,000 g
APOGEE & DESCENT
400–1,000 m AGL · 5–10 m/s parachute or autogyro descent
TELEMETRY & RF
433 / 915 MHz LoRa & XBee real-time ground station visualization
Primary Engineering Bottleneck: Designing low-cost, reproducible COTS avionics stacks and custom ground-station GUIs under strict mass and power budgets.
PDR & Structural Mockup InspectionCDR & Telemetry Range QualificationFRR & Launch / Drop Campaign
Official Guide
Two-Stage Container–PayloadRegional / International · University

International & Regional Container–Payload Model Satellite Competitions (e.g. TÜRKSAT / TEKNOFEST, IN-SPACe India)

National Space Agencies & Satellite Operators (IN-SPACe India, TÜRKSAT, KARI Korea)

High-complexity multi-body separation, active attitude/camera stabilization, bidirectional telecommand execution, and real-time video/sensor fusion.

ENVELOPE & MASS
Ø120–125 mm container + separable payload (or dual-payload relay architecture) · 600–1,000 g
APOGEE & DESCENT
600–1,000 m AGL · 12–15 m/s container descent; 4–8 m/s active/passive payload descent
TELEMETRY & RF
433 / 868 / 900 MHz / 2.4 GHz bidirectional command + live video stream + SD archive
Primary Engineering Bottleneck: Simultaneous high-rate sensor telemetry and video transmission without RF self-interference (desense) or regulator brownout.
Preliminary Design ReportCritical Design ReportFlight Readiness ReviewLaunch & Post-Flight Telemetry Audit
Official Guide

SYS.COMPARISON // FROM SUBORBITAL CANSAT (1998) TO ORBITAL POCKETQUBE (2009) & CUBESAT (1999)

Suborbital-to-Orbital Systems Engineering Matrix

How subsystem requirements evolve when transitioning a student engineering team from an atmospheric CanSat or two-stage Model Satellite to an orbital 1P PocketQube or 1U CubeSat.

Subsystem / ParameterStandard CanSat (330 mL)Container–Payload Model Sat1P PocketQube (LEO)1U CubeSat (LEO)
Standard EnvelopeØ66 × 115 mm cylinder (393 cm³)Ø125 × 310 mm cylinder (~3,800 cm³)50 × 50 × 50 mm cube (125 cm³, 1.6 mm backplate)100 × 100 × 113.5 mm cube (1,135 cm³, 8.5 mm rails)
Typical Wet Mass300–350 g (ballast floor at 300 g)600–1,000 g (container + payload)180–250 g (≤250 g PQ60 standard)1,000–2,000 g (≤2.0 kg CDS Rev 14.1)
Operating Regime & Duration0–4 km troposphere · 90–180 s descent (+2–4 h pad standby)0–1 km troposphere · 90–150 s descent (+2–4 h pad standby)400–550 km LEO vacuum · 1.5–4.5 years orbital lifetime450–600 km LEO vacuum · 3–8 years orbital lifetime
Aerodynamics & Descent / OrbitContinuum air (ρ ≈ 1.225 kg/m³); parachute drag v_t = 8–11 m/sTwo-stage drogue (15 m/s) + parafoil/autogyro (≤5 m/s)Free-molecular thermosphere (ρ ≈ 10⁻¹² kg/m³); King-Hele orbital decayFree-molecular thermosphere; lower area-to-mass ratio B = C_d A / m
Electrical Power (EPS)Primary 9 V alkaline or 1S–2S LiPo/LiFePO4 (no solar required)2S LiPo/LiFePO4 + separate servo/burn-wire rail & external kill switchBody-mounted GaAs solar cells (0.8–1.1 W OAP) + 1S Li-ion (6–10 Wh)Body/deployable GaAs solar arrays (2.0–5.0 W OAP) + 2S Li-ion (15–30 Wh)
Attitude / Flight ControlPassive parachute stability + 9-DOF IMU attitude determinationReaction wheel / gimbal yaw stabilization or dual-servo parafoil homingPMAC bar magnet + hysteresis rods or PCB B-dot magnetorquers3-axis magnetorquers + reaction wheels, sun sensors & star tracker
RF Telemetry & Slant Range433/868/915 MHz LoRa or FSK · 1–5 km slant range · 1–5 Hz CSV900 MHz / 2.4 GHz XBee + 5.8 GHz video · 1–3 km range · 1–10 Hz400–438 MHz UHF amateur/experimental · 600–2,200 km slant rangeUHF/VHF TT&C + 2.2 GHz S-band / 8.2 GHz X-band payload downlink
Thermal & Structural LoadsConvective air cooling; 15–30 G rocket ejection & parachute opening shockConvective cooling; pyrotechnic/spring container ejection + landing impactVacuum radiative balance (±30 °C swing every 95 min); 14.1 Grms random vibVacuum radiative balance; NASA GEVS 14.1 Grms qualification & T-Vac cycling

SYS.AVIONICS // DETERMINISTIC FLIGHT SOFTWARE STATE MACHINE & BROWNOUT RECOVERY

Reference Flight State Machine (FRAM / EEPROM Persistence Pattern)

Every competition CDR/FRR requires a deterministic state transition diagram that survives mid-air processor brownouts without losing its pad zero-altitude calibration (P_0) or re-locking deployment actuators.

STATE 0 // BOOT_RECOVERY

Entry Trigger: MCU power-on or watchdog/brownout reset.

Actions: Read non-volatile state byte, packet counter, and calibrated pad reference pressure P_0 from FRAM/EEPROM before initializing actuators.

Reset Immunity: CRITICAL: Never overwrite P_0 or state on boot! If stored state ≥ 2 (in flight), jump immediately to that state without re-locking servos.
STATE 1 // LAUNCH_PAD_WAIT

Entry Trigger: Default state after ground calibration command `CMD,TEAM,CAL`.

Actions: Sample barometer at 10–20 Hz, maintain rolling baseline P_0 only while |v_z| < 1.5 m/s, transmit low-duty-cycle 1 Hz health telemetry, keep camera/high-power loads in standby.

Reset Immunity: Commit calibrated P_0 (4-byte float + CRC8) to FRAM/EEPROM upon `CAL` command receipt.
STATE 2 // ASCENT

Entry Trigger: Barometric altitude h_AGL > 25 m AND vertical velocity v_z > +8.0 m/s for N ≥ 5 consecutive samples.

Actions: Lock P_0 updates, switch telemetry to full 4–10 Hz flight rate, start high-rate SD card logging, arm apogee detector.

Reset Immunity: Persist `STATE = 2` to non-volatile memory immediately upon launch detection.
STATE 3 // APOGEE_DROGUE_DESCENT

Entry Trigger: Vertical velocity v_z < -2.0 m/s for N ≥ 8 consecutive filtered samples (or h_AGL drops > 10 m below peak h_max).

Actions: Record peak apogee altitude, deploy container/drogue stabilization if commanded, enable stage-2 separation altitude comparator.

Reset Immunity: Blank barometric derivatives for 600 ms after rocket motor burnout / ejection charge to reject pressure-spike false apogee triggers.
STATE 4 // PAYLOAD_SEPARATION

Entry Trigger: State == 3 AND h_AGL ≤ h_sep (e.g. 400 m AGL) for N ≥ 6 consecutive samples.

Actions: Energize NiCr burn-wire MOSFET (for t_cut = 1.5–2.5 s with hardware timeout) or actuate release servo; start camera recording / autogyro spin-up.

Reset Immunity: Hard-limit burn-wire MOSFET on-time in firmware (< 3.0 s) so a stalled cut cannot short the battery bus and reset the MCU.
STATE 5 // SCIENCE_MAIN_DESCENT

Entry Trigger: t > t_sep + 2.0 s AND Δh loss confirms separation.

Actions: Execute secondary mission control loop (parafoil GPS waypoint homing, reaction-wheel camera pointing, or atmospheric gas/spectrum sampling).

Reset Immunity: Flush SD card file allocation table (`file.sync()`) every 20 packets so data survives sudden landing battery disconnection.
STATE 6 // LANDED_RECOVERY_BEACON

Entry Trigger: h_AGL < 35 m AND |v_z| < 0.8 m/s continuously for ≥ 5.0 seconds.

Actions: Stop motors/servos/camera, close SD card file cleanly, activate 85+ dB piezo recovery buzzer, transmit GPS coordinates every 5 s.

Reset Immunity: Persist `STATE = 6` so battery voltage sag on the ground keeps pulsing the audio/RF recovery beacon.

SYS.RELIABILITY // LESSONS FROM FIELD CAMPAIGNS & PDR / CDR / FRR SCREENING

Eight Critical CanSat & Model Satellite Failure Modes

Complementing our orbital failure monograph (SQ-R-003), this checklist catalogs the most frequent failure modes observed in student CanSat and Model Satellite launch campaigns and their pre-flight verification tests.

FM-01 · Flight Software

Mid-Air MCU Brownout Reset Erasing Pad Zero-Altitude Calibration

Mechanism: Energizing a servo or NiCr burn-wire drops bus voltage below 3.0 V; MCU reboots at 400 m AGL, re-samples ambient pressure as 'ground level' (0 m), and never triggers lower-altitude events.

CDR/FRR Screening: Store pad reference pressure P_0 and current state in FRAM/EEPROM on ground calibration, and separate actuator/servo power onto an independent regulator or battery cell.

FM-02 · Flight Software

Premature Separation Triggered by Rocket Ejection Pressure Spike

Mechanism: Black-powder rocket ejection pressurizes the payload bay, causing a sudden +30 hPa spike (apparent -250 m altitude drop) that fools an unfiltered `h < 400 m` threshold.

CDR/FRR Screening: Require monotonic state progression (`ASCENT -> APOGEE -> DESCENT`), apply an IIR/Kalman filter, and require ≥8 consecutive samples below threshold after a 0.6 s post-ejection blanking window.

FM-03 · Mechanics & Recovery

Parachute Shroud Line Entanglement or Shock-Cord Snap at Deployment

Mechanism: Deploying at >30 m/s off-apogee produces 20–35 G opening shock; un-swiveled nylon lines twist under rocket spin and fail at knots (knots reduce line tensile strength by ~45%).

CDR/FRR Screening: Size shock cords with the Knacke-Pflanz method for ≥3× safety factor at 35 m/s, use braided Kevlar/Spectra with a ball-bearing swivel, and Z-fold shroud lines inside a deployment bag.

FM-04 · Mechanics & Recovery

Container–Payload Jamming Under Pendulum Oscillation

Mechanism: Tight 0.2 mm radial clearance binds when the container swings at ±15° under the drogue parachute or thermally expands on the launch pad.

CDR/FRR Screening: Maintain ≥1.5–2.0 mm radial clearance, add PTFE/Delrin low-friction guide rails, and test separation at a 45° tilt angle under 1× mass preload.

FM-05 · Avionics & Power

Battery Depletion During 3-Hour Launch Rail Standby

Mechanism: Teams size batteries for a 120-second flight but forget the CanSat sits powered on inside the rocket on the pad for 2–4 hours before launch.

CDR/FRR Screening: Implement a low-power `LAUNCH_PAD_WAIT` mode (camera/transmitters throttled) and size battery capacity for 4 hours standby + 15 minutes flight + 2 hours post-landing beacon with 35% reserve.

FM-06 · Flight Software

SD Card Corruption Upon Ground Impact

Mechanism: Keeping the CSV log file open without calling `sync()` / `flush()` causes the entire FAT directory entry to be lost if the battery connector bounces at touchdown.

CDR/FRR Screening: Call `file.flush()` every 10–20 frames during descent, log in parallel to onboard SPI NOR flash, and close the file immediately upon landing detection.

FM-07 · RF & Ground Segment

RF Desense Between 5.8 GHz / 2.4 GHz Video and 900 / 433 MHz Telemetry

Mechanism: Mounting a 200–600 mW video transmitter antenna within 2 cm of the telemetry transceiver saturates the LNA front-end and drops command/telemetry packets.

CDR/FRR Screening: Separate TX antennas at opposite ends of the CanSat cylinder, use coax bulkhead pigtails, and add a bandpass SAW filter on the telemetry receiver.

FM-08 · Mechanics & Recovery

Barometric Port Pressurization Error (Static Port Placement)

Mechanism: Sealing the electronics bay without static pressure relief holes—or placing holes on the stagnation nose cone—corrupts barometric altitude by ±40 m.

CDR/FRR Screening: Drill 3–4 symmetric Ø2.5–3.0 mm static ports around the cylindrical sidewall perpendicular to the airflow, shielded from direct sunlight (which causes BMP388 photo-drift).