Oct 5, 2023
Dr Frank Steinle Aerospace Veteran and AIAA Fellow talking to VADL Team 2023-24
The VADL team had the honor to meet Dr. Frank Steinle, a veteran Aerospace Engineer and AIAA Fellow. In his visit, Dr. Steinle toured the VADL and provided an inspirational speech before learning about this year’s NASA USLI challenge and our current project.
May 2, 2023
Gift extends support for Vanderbilt’s award-winning rocket team
Former chair of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust and Vanderbilt Law School alumnus Mark F. Dalton, JD’75, has established a faculty director position to bolster innovative hands-on learning in aerospace design.
Jun 14, 2022
Vanderbilt rocket team earns 2022 NASA Student Launch Project Award
The Vanderbilt rocket team won the coveted NASA Student Launch Project Review Award for the best documentation of the project progress through 2021-2022. The national Student Launch rocketry competition was held in April and results were announced June 3.
Feb 16, 2022
New fund to sustain Vanderbilt Rocket Team successes
Emeritus trustee creates Dalton Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Laboratory Fund to support lab’s vision
May 28, 2021
Space Force Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond visits Vanderbilt, laying groundwork for future partnership
United States Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond visited Vanderbilt University to learn about the pioneering aerospace engineering projects at the university’s research institutes and trans-institutional programs. The visit also presented areas for collaboration with the newest independent service of the U.S. military.
Jan 31, 2020
VADL alumnus makes Forbes' 30 Under 30 list with solar cell startup
VADL Alumnus Kevin Bush, BE’14, has been named to the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List, which highlights “600 revolutionaries in 20 industries changing the course-and the face-of business and society.” Bush was selected in the energy sector...
Dec 11, 2019
Vanderbilt rocketeers invited to special NASA Artemis unveiling day
Five mechanical engineering seniors got a rare, up-close look at the core stage for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket that will help power the first Artemis mission to the Moon. A team from the Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Lab was specially selected by NASA to present their university-based flight projects to the NASA Administrator, NASA officials and national media at Artemis Day...
Nov 7, 2019
Vanderbilt Rocketeers take on the 2020 NASA Space Robotics Challenge
NASA is challenging college and university rocket teams to design solutions for its proposed manned and unmanned planetary missions...
May 16, 2019
Rocketeers claim sixth NASA championship with novel UAV search and deploy mission
Vanderbilt’s Aerospace Design Laboratory again earned top honors in NASA’s 2019 National Student Launch Competition, the Space Agency announced today. This is the lab’s sixth national championship, winning the top spot in the last seven years: 2019-2018 and 2016-2013...
May 17, 2018
Vanderbilt wins NASA rocketry championship for fifth time
The Vanderbilt Student Launch team won the NASA University Student Launch Competition for an unprecedented fifth time—following up on their eighth Payload Design Award—the space agency announced today. Vanderbilt returned to its winning ways after having placed second overall last year, following a string of four championships 2013-2016. University of North Carolina-Charlotte, University of Louisville, California...
Apr 9, 2018
Vanderbilt’s rocket rolls and captures payload design award at NASA launch contest
The Vanderbilt rocket team collected a key award at the NASA’s Student Launch Challenge and followed up with a successful flight of their rocket Sunday, April 8, at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama. At the awards banquet at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville April 7, Vanderbilt – four-time national champs – won...
Apr 2, 2018
Novel two-part rocket design addresses NASA challenge
Rockets naturally roll during ascent, posing great difficulty in imaging objects on the ground. Engineering students in the Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Laboratory tackled that challenge. On Saturday, April 7, at the 2018 NASA Student Launch Competition in Toney, Alabama, they will demonstrate a payload design that helps capture image targets...
Nov 3, 2017
VADL contributes to Maker Faire’s success
Members of Vanderbilt’s Aerospace Design Laboratory demonstrate their rocket, payload, and test stand to the nearly 4,000 attendees of Nashville’s First Mini Maker Faire.
Aug 1, 2017
Student Rocketeers earn second place in NASA contest
Engineering students from the Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Laboratory earned the second place in the 2017 NASA-Orbital ATK Rocket Challenge. They received a cash prize of $2,500, an award created this year by the National Space Club in Huntsville, Alabama.
Jul 27, 2017
Love Circle energy park to reach 5 years of continuous operation
On Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017, the renewable energy pilot facility atop Nashville’s Love Circle will complete five years of continuous operation. A joint venture between the Vanderbilt School of Engineering and Metro Water Services, the public service project features a wind turbine and solar panels. It is a field training point for Vanderbilt engineering students and field...
Oct 11, 2016
Mechanical engineering graduate student collects national and international astronautical awards
Christopher T. Lyne has won two prestigious awards hailing his work in astronautics. Lyne, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, has received the 2016 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation Abe M. Zarem Award for Distinguished Achievement in Astronautics. Both awards are for his paper: “Design and Test of a 10N Hydrogen-Peroxide Monopropellant...
May 12, 2016
VADL takes home national championship for the fourth year in a row
“Vanderbilt student rocketeers have won NASA’s Orbital-ATK University Student Launch competition for the fourth year in a row. They had to beat out 40 other university teams in the yearlong national competition in order to achieve this ‘four-peat’ ...”
Apr 20, 2016
VADL wins payload design, project review awards at Student Launch 2016
“The Vanderbilt student rocket team collected two key awards in NASA’s Student Launch Challenge following a near flawless flight of their Thrustworthy rocket Saturday, April 16, at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama. ...”
Nov 23, 2015
VADL Provides Wind Power Demonstration
VADL team members engaged students from Whites Creek Academy in a tour of Vanderbilt’s solar array and turbines set up by VADL faculty lead Dr. Amrutur Anilkumar.