Cansat Flight Computer PCB.

The ESP32 acted as the central controller for the flight computer. The TMP117 provided temperature measurements, the DPS310 provided pressure data for altitude-related telemetry, the LSM9DS1 supplied inertial data, and the RFM69HCW handled radio telemetry to the ground station.

The PCB was organized around readable connector groups, power distribution, sensor interfaces, and debugging accessibility. The goal was not only to make the system compact, but to make it serviceable during subsystem bring-up and full mission integration.

The design started from system requirements and interface planning: which signals needed to leave the board, which modules needed dedicated connectors, and which points had to remain accessible during testing.

From there, the work moved through schematic capture, connector selection, board placement, routing, and design-for-debug decisions. The layout prioritized signal organization and serviceability so the board could be read, probed, and modified during development instead of only being packed as tightly as possible.

• Grouped sensor, communication, and power interfaces by function.
• Reduced loose wiring by consolidating subsystem connections onto one board.
• Kept debugging and subsystem access in mind during connector placement.

Verification followed a staged bring-up process. The board was first checked for continuity and power integrity, then individual interfaces were validated before moving into integrated subsystem testing.

During system-level testing, the ground station dashboard was used to observe telemetry receive status, temperature, pressure, altitude, descent velocity, mission phase, and mission state. This made it easier to confirm that the flight computer was not only powering up, but also producing useful mission data.

The simulator below reflects the competition profile: the original target altitude was 400 m, but the flight ceiling was changed to 315 m shortly before the mission.

The prototype served as a functional central flight computer for subsystem testing and system integration. It reduced wiring complexity, made debugging more direct, and provided a cleaner platform for testing sensing, telemetry, and mission-state behavior.

During the competition mission, the PCB worked as expected and was able to transmit data throughout the full flight with minimal packet loss. The board also survived landing with no electrical damage. Our team placed 14th out of the 43 teams that participated in the final competition and 14th out of the 150 teams that participated across the full CanSat International Competition organized by UNAM in Mexico.

One improvement area was the image telemetry path: seven packets were lost while sending the required anaglyph picture. Future revisions would improve silkscreen labeling, add more dedicated test points, refine layout details, and include clearer revision-specific documentation so bring-up and handoff are even easier.