rocket-telemetry-sim #

Rocket flight simulator written in Python that models engine performance, thrust generation, and flight dynamics using real rocket science.

How It Works #

• Implements NASA's Isentropic Flow equations.
• A propellant class and an engine class calculate the thrust and geometry of the required engine.
• Supports multi-stage simulation for more complex rocketry simulations.

Example Output #

Max Altitude: 961.2m
Max Velocity: 133.8m/s
Burnout time: 3.43s
Apogee time: 15.23s

Physics #

The system solves for Mach number using the Newton-Raphson root-finding numerical method applied to the Area-Mach relation equation, as follows:

$$\frac{A}{A^*}=\frac{1}{M}\left[\frac{2}{\gamma+1}(1+\frac{\gamma-1}{2}M^2)\right]^{\frac{\gamma+1}{2(\gamma-1)}}$$

Where $\gamma$ is the ratio of specific heats used in the isentropic flow model.

Tech Stack #

• Languages used: Python
• Frameworks: Python standard library

What I Learned #

• Object-Oriented Programming in Python
• Translating equations into code
• Numerical methods (Newton-Raphson root finding)
• Aerospace Engineering principles

Project Structure #

├── README.md
├── LICENSE.md
├── data.py
├── engine.py
├── engine_math.py
├── flight_state.py
├── main.py
└── requirements.txt # note - this is currently empty

How to Run the Project #

git clone https://tangled.org/liampallett.space/rocket-telemetry-sim/
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
python main.py

Future Improvements #

• Implement a propellant dataset so hard-coded values are not necessary. Many simulations can be run with varying propellants to see the most effective for your rocket setup.

AI Usage Disclosure #

Generative AI tools (Gemini 3 Fast/Pro and Claude Sonnet 4.6) were used for research, explanations, and consultation during development. All design decisions, implementation, and final code review were performed by the author.