Simulation 2025 12 / 14
Lunar Landing Simulation
PID control that lands a spacecraft softly — inspired by the Beresheet mission.
Built with
Language
- Python
Skills & tools
- NumPy
- Pandas
- Matplotlib
- PID control
- Physics simulation
A 2D lunar-descent simulation with PID-controlled vertical speed, dynamic angle targeting and braking logic, logging full telemetry to CSV and Excel.
The challenge
Israel’s Beresheet lander crashed on the Moon in 2019. This simulation asks: what control logic would have landed it?
Approach
- A PID controller holds vertical speed to a target that shrinks with altitude.
- The spacecraft’s angle is steered from 60° toward 0° as it closes in on the target.
- Extra horizontal braking kicks in below 3,000 m.
- Every step is logged — time, altitude, speeds, angle, fuel and throttle — and exported for analysis.
Gallery
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Telemetry from a full simulated descent — altitude, horizontal and vertical speed.