The Artemis Launch Simulator is a dual-microcontroller embedded system that simulates a rocket launch sequence and deployment. It consists of two main stations communicating in real-time: a launch Pad (which monitors structural vibrations) and a control station (featuring an OLED telemetry display and countdown timers). The climax of the system is the release of a miniature spring-loaded rocket. Inside the rocket, an ultra-lightweight ESP32 uses a barometric altimeter to detect its highest point in the air.

The primary purpose is to demonstrate a fault-tolerant, highly interactive embedded system. It showcases how multiple hardware communication protocols (I2C, SPI, PWM, ADC) and software concepts (interrupts, non-blocking timers, and TinyML) must work together to execute a complex physical operation. It serves as a proof-of-concept for handling sensor data, user inputs, and physical actuation simultaneously without system failure.

The project was deeply inspired by NASA's Artemis missions and the immense engineering complexity behind modern spaceflight. At the same time, I wanted to create a project that's interactive and fun to repeatedly play around with.

This project acts as an engaging, highly interactive educational showcase. By allowing users to interact with a physical console, to press buttons or to watch the telemetry react to the rocket reaching higher altitudes, it explains complex aerospace engineering concepts with simple components.

The launch will proceed as follows: Once the arming switch is toggled, a button can be pressed that will begin the countdown to launch. Until reaching 0, the vibration motor will simulate the starting of the engines and, if the accelerometer detects anomalous vibrations (such as vibrations that are too strong), the launching will be terminated. When the countdown reaches 0, the servo motor releases a tightly-packed spring that launches the rocket. At this moment, the ESP32-C3 receives a signal from the main ESP32 to begin measuring its altitude, and this data is sent back and displayed at the platform.

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