Design teams and projects

3DPAC

Competition: 3D-Printed Aircraft competition, Arlington Texas

The 3D-Printed Aircraft competition is held annually by University of Texas, Arlington, and challenges students to design within 3D printing process and material constraints; develop lightweight, manufacturable airframe configurations and leverage direct digital manufacturing technologies.

AIAA Design, Build, Fly

Competition: Annual AIAA Design, Build, Fly competition

Design, Build, Fly at Virginia Tech is an all-student design team led by undergraduate aerospace engineering seniors and assisted by underclassmen of all disciplines and skill sets. The team designs, fabricates, and demonstrates the flight capabilities of an unmanned, electric powered, radio-controlled aircraft which can best meet the specified annual mission profile.

AutoBoat

Competition: International Robotic Sailing Regatta, Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) competition

AutoBoat at Virginia Tech is a student-led engineering design team in the Ware Lab that designs and manufactures fully autonomous robotic sailboats and high-power electric motor boats for the International Robotic Sailing Regatta and Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) competitions. The team designs and builds hulls, electronics, and software from scratch.

CANSAT

Competition: American Astronautical Society (AAS) CANSAT competition

CANSAT focuses on designing, manufacturing, and testing small-scale satellites. They participate in an annual international design-build-launch competition, centered around crafting a programmable payload for release from a rocket that can accurately transmit flight data to a ground station.

Human Powered Submarine

Competition: International Submarine Races, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock

Human Powered Submarine (HPS) is an undergraduate team that competes in the biennial International Submarine Races. They design, build, and race a fully-flooded human-powered submarine, which is judged on criteria such as speed and innovation.

inspireFly

inspireFly is a student‑lead engineering team at Virginia Tech that designs, builds, and deploys CubeSats into low‑Earth orbit. It aims to make space local by empowering students to achieve real-world, mission success through cutting-edge engineering.

MachWorks

MachWorks aims to design and build an autonomous supersonic fixed-wing UAV powered by turbojet engines and develop a team of high-quality undergraduate engineers capable of tackling and solving difficult problems. 

NASA Student Launch

Competition: NASA Student Launch challenge

NASA SLVT designs, builds, and flies a rocket fit to different criterion in NASA's annual challenge. The team is in the process of constructing a reusable dual-deploy launch vehicle capable of reaching an apogee of 4000’-6000’. The launch vehicle will safely carry a payload, upon landing, will take soil samples.

Orbital Launch Vehicle Team (OLVT)

While this team does not attend competition, the mission of OLVT is to fly a rocket pass the Karman Line (100 km altitude) and then to place a satellite into low Earth orbit.

Rocketry@VT

Competition: Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition and Spaceport America Cup, New Mexico.

Rocketry@VT provides an environment for students to learn and work together building, launching, and experimenting with high power rockets.

RockSAT-X@VT

An initiative by the Colorado Space Grant Consortium in conjunction with NASA's Sounding Rocket Program Office (SRPO), the RockSat-X program provides low-cost access to space for university student design teams. Teams are allotted a modular payload space on a sounding rocket which is launched every August from NASA Wallops Flight Facility.

Semi-Autonomous Mars Mining Robot (Astrobotics)

Competition: NASA Lunabotics Competition 

Applying NASA’s Systems Engineering principles, the team designs and builds a prototype off-world construction robot. Robots aim to be capable of performing construction operations that support future space exploration objectives.

Wind Turbine Team

Competition: Collegiate Wind Competition

The Wind Turbine Team is a multi-disciplinary student club that designs, tests, sites, and markets wind turbines.