Developing a Reusable Propulsive Self-Landing Rocket for Collegiate Rocketry

UC San Diego’s chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) is a project-based liquid rocketry student organization aiming to develop a launch vehicle capable of controlled propulsive landing. At present, the primary achievements in vertical takeoff vertical landing rocketry are pioneered by industry leaders with access to resources, facilities, and funding typically unavailable to students. This paper explores the end-to-end development of a reusable launch vehicle and the design of its four core systems: guidance, navigation, and controls (GNC), propellant feed, structures, and avionics, addressing the unique challenges within a collegiate environment. A preliminary cold flow test validated system integration and the propellant feed system’s performance, advancing the vehicle towards the targeted 50-meter hop test. This work aims to present solutions for overcoming the constraints of collegiate rocketry and provide greater accessibility to the field for continued research.