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Garuda's Grand Gaze

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 Our conversations over the payload vision for our rocket AgniAstra began on March 28th, 2023. A culmination of years of consuming knowledge and a hunger to now apply it, Garuda was born. The idea was simple, well it still is. How can we use cameras onboard high-speed aircraft and make them intelligent with Computer Vision and Deep Learning to perform something useful in real-time and in situ, using nothing except what the camera sees? How hard could it be, right? It seemed like an exciting challenge at the outset and a year later we have the answer:   Chapter 1: The dimensions are what? iterating the platform The challenge truly began when we recognized the stringent dimensional constraints we had to navigate. Designing for the 30K category is a completely different endeavor compared to the 10K category, something we anticipated from our previous years with thrustMIT. Specifically, the Nosecone CanSat structure required us to fit everything within a 9cm diameter and a 30cm length.
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thrustMIT's turbulent triumph

  The team members at thrustMIT embarked on an intricate journey, meticulously designing a rocket motor that aimed to set new standards for performance. The focus was on crafting an M Impulse KNSB-based motor, a culmination of six months of relentless preparation. The pinnacle of this journey arrived on November 6th when the creation was poised for its inaugural trial at the Vertical Test Bed at End Point in Manipal. It was one of those days when the weather in Manipal is just perfect—clear skies and cool air. The team assembled the motor bed two days prior to the test. On the day, the avionics and propulsion subsystem were working on some last-minute tweaks anticipating the arrival of the director Cdr. Dr. Anil Rana. With bated breath, the team leader counted down from 3, 2, 1, the director pushed the switch on the key arm ignition and the M class motor erupted into the air at approximately 3:04 PM. The motor test unfolded as a rollercoaster of emotions for the team, with the dyna
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