Design and build a structural body that will safely carry the payload, avionics, and motor up to an allowed apogee.
Construction of the electronics bay such that the team can ensure a successful launch and deployment of the payload. Additionally, gather data of the launch vehicles flight.
Payloads developed by teams will address research needs of different subsystems on the SLS. The teams will share the research results, which will be used in future design and development of SLS and other projects.
Perform FEA & CFD analysis on rocket, recovery system, and payload to ensure designs meet both team-derived and competition requirements.
Designing an active drag system that will allow the launch vehicle to slow down upon approach to a specific apogee. Additionally conduct research on topics based upon the given challenge for the design year.
We are the NASA Student Launch Team at Virginia Tech: a design team operating through the Advanced Engineering Design Lab. Our team is dedicated to competing in the NASA Student Launch challenge in which we design, build, and fly a rocket fit to different criterion each year. This year, our rocket is able to autonomously locate itself upon landing and report its position back to the team.
The competition enables students to gain an industry perspective to the engineering design process. The teams are required to maintain the same standards of safety and rigor throughout the competition.
Student Launch is a research-based, competitive, experiential exploration activity. It strives to provide relevant, cost-effective research and development of rocket propulsion systems. This project offers multiple challenges reaching a broad audience of middle and high schools, colleges, and universities across the nation.
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