Senior-design upperclassmen, aerospace-aligned graduate students, and a few exceptional underclassmen — pulling from four engineering disciplines toward one launch.
Meet the current team →VADL is a senior-design capstone, a graduate-research home, and a launchpad for standout underclassmen — all on the same airframe.
Upperclassmen completing the School of Engineering's Senior Design Project form the core of each year's team, owning subsystems end to end.
Graduate students whose research aligns with aerospace bring depth in controls, propulsion, and software — and publish results in AIAA venues.
A few first- and second-years with strong records and a demonstrated passion for aerospace join early and grow into subsystem leadership.
Own the carbon-fiber airframe, aerodynamics, and manufacturing — and the demonstration flights that prove the design.
Own the dual-deploy parachutes and energetics that land the vehicle intact and flight-ready.
Own the redundant flight computers, telemetry, and autonomous payload logic.
Own the year's custom mechanism — from CAD to a working flight unit that does science on the ground.
Applications open each fall across every engineering discipline at Vanderbilt. Curiosity and commitment matter more than prior rocketry experience — new members work on real flight hardware in their first season.
Want in, or just want to talk to the team? Reach out to a team member and we'll point you to the next info session.
The Current Team →A non-exhaustive look at where VADL engineers work, intern, and pursue graduate research.
VADL alumni have earned national fellowships, international medals, and a place on the Forbes 30 Under 30.
Recognized nationally and internationally for distinguished achievement in astronautics, and a NASA NSTRF and NDSEG fellow.
Earned Vanderbilt's top graduation honor and an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship after leading on the lab's championship teams.
Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the energy sector — one of many VADL alumni shaping the field.
A former Student Launch team member who now mentors the electronics and control systems effort and leads R&D in assistive technology.
Recent seniors headed to SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Anduril, and graduate programs — the throughline of every VADL season.
VADL members have won NSF, NDSEG, and NASA fellowships across more than a decade of teams.
VADL gives each team member ownership over projects that will make or break the success of the entire team. This level of ownership gave me the experience I needed to transition quickly into work at Relativity Space and to be comfortable getting assigned mission-critical tasks.
Tamas Kis · BE ’20 · Relativity Space
I’d always loved building things, but VADL taught me how to do so with engineering rigor on an intensive project, from pre-design numerical modeling to exacting fabrication to exhaustive systems testing and documentation. VADL built the foundation for the way I think and work as a professional engineer.
Michael Gilliland · BE ’17 · SpaceX / Neuralink
VADL gave me my start in aerospace. What I did in the lab was a condensed version of what I do now at Blue Origin, and I’m happy to have experienced it in an academic setting first before stepping into the industry.
Paul Register · BE ’17 · Blue Origin
VADL has allowed me to combine classroom taught lessons with real world engineering problems. The NASA USLI competition offers a complete end-to-end engineering project where students have a large control of where the project goes. I will forever be grateful to this team for jump-starting my aerospace engineering career.
Cameron Schepner · BE ’21 · SpaceX
VADL ignited my passion for aerospace. Having the opportunity to build a rocket from the ground up is a challenging and unique experience, and it gave me lifelong skills that will continue to serve me in the years to come.
Sara Tsai · BE ’19 · Sierra Space
VADL gave me the skills required to think critically at both the highest and most nuanced levels, taking a systems-level approach to solving complex problems. Even in a more strategy-oriented, less technical role, I frequently find myself thinking back to lessons learned on the VADL team.
Zachary Friedman · BE ’22 · Oliver Wyman