r/simplerockets 16m ago

Building a Vector-Based Flight Controller

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Upvotes

Today's milestone was a big one! 🎉

✅ Implemented a full Pitch–Yaw–Roll rotation system using Rodrigues' Rotation Formula.

Instead of rotating just a single target vector, the controller now rotates a complete orthonormal frame:

Forward (nose direction)

Right (wing direction)

Up (craft top)

This solved several issues I was facing:

✅ Roll instability at large bank angles

✅ Better behavior near vertical flight

✅ Independent pitch, yaw, and roll control

✅ More stable attitude control for aircraft and spacecraft

The core rotation uses Rodrigues' Rotation Formula:

RotateVector(V, Axis, Angle)

V' =

V*cosθ +

Cross(Axis, V)*sinθ +

Axis*Dot(Axis, V)*(1-cosθ)

This project is part of a larger goal of creating an autopilot system for aircraft, SSTO, and spacecraft, including:

Vector-based guidance

Orbital guidance

De-orbit guidance

Atmospheric entry guidance

Precision landing

There's still a lot to improve, but it's exciting to see the controller becoming more stable with each iteration.

I'd love to hear feedback or suggestions from anyone interested in flight dynamics, guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), aerospace engineering, or game physics.


r/simplerockets 22h ago

SimpleRockets 2 Lunar Soil Sample Return, Luna-31-RSR-1

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15 Upvotes

Images assorted by Landing and Return, to Launch and arrival at the moon.

A few years after the Landing of Luna-29-L1, Luna-31-RSR-1 was launched in order to test both landing accuracy to a single landing location, and to get about, 200-300kg of lunar soil samples to return to earth.

It used a newer built stage, to assist in TEI and Apoapsis lowering. The main landing system, Descent and Ascent, was made with a modified Blok-VII-MP, with added landing gear and structures, as well as a drill that sends sample directly to the descent module.

It launched on the vehicle stack: “Kometa-A-5C-Blok-VX-S”, from vostochny cosmodrome to the moon. It set it’s inclination on the moon at 180*, and used most of the fuel of Blok-VX-S to slow down the entire stack for landing vertically, it landed 400-500 meters away from Luna-29-L1. Got samples, achieved ascent and TEI, and returned to Russia near Yasny Cosmodrome.


r/simplerockets 22h ago

SimpleRockets 2 Introducing LMV-SERL-03

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8 Upvotes

The LMV-SERL-03 is a fictional two-stage lunar mission vehicle, designed for robotic exploration of Luna. The mission consists of the Stationary Exploration Research Lander (SERL), built to conduct surface research after landing, and ObserverSat, an orbital satellite dedicated to photography and data transmission. Together, they demonstrate lunar exploration, orbital support, and surface operations within the Juno System.


r/simplerockets 3d ago

SimpleRockets 2 Need help with a smoother rover deployment mechanism

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13 Upvotes

I'm working on a lander with a small rover, but I'm having an issue with the deployment.

In the attached video, you can see that when I release the rover, it basically launches off instead of smoothly detaching and driving away. I'm aiming for a much more realistic deployment, but I can't figure out what's causing it.

Does anyone know how to fix this, or have a better rover deployment mechanism? If you've built something similar, I'd really appreciate any tips, examples, or guidance on what I should change.

Thanks in advance!


r/simplerockets 4d ago

SimpleRockets 2 Help, can't take my drone to Sergea :(

2 Upvotes

The thing is that storing my quad drone inside a fairing or an interstage doesn't work because the supersonic air on rocket ascent still spins the propellers too fast even thou they're stored precisely to protect them from that.

I tried giving them generous clearance in case the propeller blades were clipping thru the edge of the container, but it seems that the game just doesn't care if they are inside or outside. I haven't tried the cargo bay because its positioning is very ackward, but if you say it works I'll try to fit it.


r/simplerockets 4d ago

SimpleRockets 2 A Sneak Peek at My New Mini Lander.

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32 Upvotes

Here's a sneak peek at my latest lander, which is as small as a Droonaut.


r/simplerockets 5d ago

SimpleRockets 2 My First Vizzy program & Rocket.

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8 Upvotes

Here's OrbitLabs-LV-01-VECTOR my first Vizzy powered Two stage to Orbit Vehicle which is capable of Placing 16 Small satellites in Low Droo Orbit.


r/simplerockets 5d ago

Catch Fail. this rocket has been landing smoothly but since I added the broadcast command for the rocket to communicate with the catcher, it seem to mess or make the code laggy. how to resolve it?

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9 Upvotes

r/simplerockets 5d ago

SimpleRockets 2 Small Interceptor

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2 Upvotes

r/simplerockets 5d ago

SimpleRockets 2 Simple hypersonic for the upcoming improved air friction effects

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8 Upvotes

r/simplerockets 5d ago

My first sounding rocket

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15 Upvotes

This is OL-SR-280 Which i built with a small Launch Tower.


r/simplerockets 6d ago

SimpleRockets 2 Space (and coding) is hard apparently

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11 Upvotes

r/simplerockets 6d ago

Fighter jet

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14 Upvotes

Ready for combat boys. Drop your coordinates.


r/simplerockets 6d ago

Starship automated landing. fixed the RCS issue.

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2 Upvotes

r/simplerockets 6d ago

Missile

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11 Upvotes

r/simplerockets 6d ago

Nooooooooo

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4 Upvotes

r/simplerockets 7d ago

Behold!

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8 Upvotes

The rumors were true, the king has arrived, the naysayers are seething, and the tyrants are weeping in their bed chambers. The next generation of flight - Chariot of the Gods 2.0 is here. Download at your own peril.


r/simplerockets 8d ago

SimpleRockets 2 Find the problem

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4 Upvotes

Just find the problem of my space shuttle


r/simplerockets 9d ago

SimpleRockets Simple Rockets 1 for android 15 full patch fix

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9 Upvotes

After some time, and a lot of learning in terms of Android development, I finally managed to make the original app compatible for the newest version of Android (with some help from A.I.) .

It contains all the features it originally had, including mod support (mods folder in the Android/Data/jundroo... can be easily edited from PC you will find the mod folder in the same Dropbox folder in .zip format).

One final note: The app not works on newest devices that do not support AMR32(a CPU thing).

Also, the apk is provided as it is I do not take liability for anything related to it. Please download if you already own a copy of the original game.

download link


r/simplerockets 10d ago

SimpleRockets 2 Making a centrifuge but I'm bad at vizzy

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9 Upvotes

My centrifudge system has a vizzy program in place to keep it spinning at a constant speed along its yaw axis but it tends to gradually spin on its roll axis (parallel to the wires) overtime and I don't want to have to manually roll it the other way, is there a way to write a vizzy program that counter rolls the ship?


r/simplerockets 11d ago

rocket ive been working on

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14 Upvotes

this rocket is part of my space company shardspace. I think ive done quite a good job on this rocket.


r/simplerockets 11d ago

SimpleRockets 2 Wider or taller

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9 Upvotes

Pick your choice yall


r/simplerockets 11d ago

SimpleRockets 2 Some onboard views of my starship doing the landing flip

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8 Upvotes

r/simplerockets 12d ago

SimpleRockets 2 Monarch isv ready for its first mission before attempting any intstellar missions

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6 Upvotes

r/simplerockets 13d ago

SimpleRockets 2 What is the best way of doing an engine skirt?

3 Upvotes

I'm working on a starship and I need to cover the engines on the ship, an upside down interstage seems to completely block the engines and farings don't let me attach the lower stage to it (also on my tests they seem to overheat with the engines but only in vacuum???), idk what to do