Aerostructures

Team Lead: Ian McKee
Junior in Aerospace Engineering

Aerostructures' responsibility is to manufacture and test all structural components of the rocket. We focus on using composite materials, such as carbon fiber, for most of our airframe due to its high strength-to-weight ratio. All of our composite components are developed in-house using wet layup and vacuum bagging techniques. These components include the airframe, thrust structure, bulkheads, and centering rings. To verify that all of our components are capable of withstanding loads experienced during flight, we conduct physical material testing, finite element analysis in ANSYS, and multiple full-scale test flights. This year, we have also discussed using small-scale test launches to ensure structural and avionics compatibility and functionality before the main competition rocket is completed.