Integrated Aerodynamic and Structural Design with Experimental Evaluation of a Solid-Propellant Model Rocket

This work reports the end-to-end design, integration, and experimental evaluation of a solid-propellant model rocket. The vehicle architecture integrates propulsion, aerodynamic shaping, structural design, avionics, and a two-stage recovery system into a flight-ready configuration. Initial sizing and stability assessment follow established analytical models for slender finned vehicles, coupled with mass-property estimates and static-margin targets. The propulsion selection and sizing are informed by standard rocketpropulsion performance relations. The methodology combines numerical simulation with targeted testing. Finite-element analysis (FEA) is used to verify structural integrity under combined thrust and aerodynamic loading, while computational fluid dynamics (CFD) supports aerodynamic refinement and stability analysis in the relevant subsonic regime. Ground testing includes static motor firings to characterize delivered thrust and burn time, avionicsin-the-loop checks, and deployment tests for the recovery sequence. These activities establish a design–test feedback loop that reduces model uncertainty and closes the gap between predicted and observed behavior. The outcome is a flight-ready system that meets structural and stability requirements and demonstrates reliable subsystem operation prior to launch. The presented workflow—integrating analytical models, finite-element and CFD analyses, and subsystem validation—offers a transferable template for small-scale rocketry projects and can be extended to higher-performance vehicles and mission profiles.