BalloonPoppingChallenge: Open-source Rocket GNC Simulation Software Workshop

Did you ever dream of writing code to control a rocket launch when you were a kid? Now, your code can actually dictate a rocket's flight trajectory! As Taiwan's orbital launch vehicle program advances, we are recruiting cross-disciplinary software talent in "Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC)" to participate in the "Balloon Popping Challenge" co-hosted by the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) and the Advanced Rocket Research Center (ARRC).

This is a rocket GNC competition that integrates the Gymnasium training environment with the ActiveRocketPy simulation system (based on the open-source project RocketPy). During the workshop, we will provide a hands-on guide to help attendees try controlling the rocket's Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system, and further explore how to tackle complex, real-world scenarios like wind gusts and sensor noise.

"Be a User -> Be a Contributor" is the core spirit of this workshop! We highly encourage everyone to participate in open-source contributions: whether you want to leverage your Computer Science background to build flight trajectory data visualization tools, or you are passionate about physics and want to submit PRs to improve the simulation aspects of the core Python modules, there is a stage for you here to showcase your skills.

No prior registration is required for this workshop. We welcome everyone to drop by our session during COSCUP, explore rockets with us, and become contributors to a space open-source project! If you find it interesting, you can even team up and register for the Rocket GNC Software Competition (deadline: August 31st) to take on the challenge!