ROCKETRY

"At the forefront of record-shattering engineering."

As new technologies and engineering techniques develop, aerospace and rocketry applications are often the first to utilize them. Humanity is a story of pushing the bounds of possibilities, and I believe no where is this more true than in aerospace engineering.

My area of expertise is the structural design and manufacturing of suborbital, pressure-fed, liquid bipropellant sounding rockets. I am skilled in Computer-Aided Design (Autodesk Inventor and SolidWorks), Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), composite manufacturing, and additive manufacturing.

My interest is rocketry began in at the 2019 Summer Engineering Design Institute at UCLA which introduced me to high-powered model rocketry. That same year, I started Galileo Rocketry, a student-led team at my high school which competed in . The American Rocketry Challenge (TARC). Galileo Rocketry was the first high school rocketry team in San Francisco and helped introduce many underrepresented students to the possibilities of aerospace engineering.

At UC San Diego, I joined the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) as a structural engineer. I am currently working on Halya, a pressure-fed, bipropellant (Methane-LOx) sounding rocket, and have previously worked on Vulcan-II, a pressure-fed, bipropellant (Kerosene-LOx) sounding rocket.

SEDS UCSD

The Students for the Exploration and Development of Space at the University of California, San Diego (SEDS UCSD) is a student-led team focused on design, research, and fabrication of innovative aerospace-related projects. We are currently actively developing several projects, including a supersonic pressure-fed bipropellant sounding rocket, a regeneratively cooled methane-liquid oxygen engine, an active engine control and self-landing testbed, and a high performance dual-cryogenic mobile static testfire stand. SEDS UCSD is a chapter of SEDS USA.

I am currently a structures engineer for SEDS UCSD working on Halya, a next-generation supersonic pressure-fed bipropellant (Methane-LOx) sounding rocket to compete in the FAR-MARS competition.

SEDS UCSD Website

Halya

SEDS UCSD's newest rocket, Halya (pronounced heh`SLUH) is a Methane and Liquid Oxygen pressure-fed sounding rocket powered by Nephas, SEDS UCSD's most powerful 3D printed engine.

The Rocket

Halya is being designed to compete in the FAR-MARS competition, meeting these primary design goals:

Liquid methane fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer
Maximum impulse of 9208 lb-s
Full parachute recovery
Static test fire

Additionally, in order to achieve these design objectives, Halya will feature a common bulk-head fuel tank, dual-deployment recovery system, composite fins and aeroshell panels, and a hybrid longeron structure. Halya is a strong contender for the competition and will be SEDS UCSD's most powerful rocket.

Statistics

Fuel	Methane - Liquid Oxygen
Target Height	40,000 ft
Length
Diameter	6.5 in
Dry Mass	120 lbm
Thrust	2000 lbf
Burn Time
Pressure System

VULCAN-II

SEDS UCSD's second rocket, Vulcan-II is a Kerosene (RP-1) and Liquid Oxygen pressure-fed sounding rocket powered by Ignus-II, the successor of the first collegiate 3D printed engine to power a rocket.

Present

History

Present - Refurbishment

Following the summer 2021 launch anomaly, Vulcan-II suffered significant structural damage. Beginning in fall 2021, the newly formed Halya team began refurbishment of the rocket, including manufacturing new aeroshells and fins. You can read more about the initial design in the history tab .

Present Statistics

Fuel	Kersone - Liquid Oxygen
Target Height	10,000 ft
Length	22 ft
Diameter	9 in
Wet Mass	210 lbm
Thrust	850 lbf
Burn Time	11 s
Pressure System	4500 psi N2

* Indicates changes from previous iteration.

Galileo Rocketry (TARC 20-6661)

Founded in 2019, Galileo Rocketry is a team of high school students from the Galileo Academy of Science and Technoloy in San Francisco that competes in the American Rocketry Competition. We seek to encourage students to consider aerospace and engineering as a career path as well as give attention to aerospace and space exploration which is often sidelined in school.

We registered to compete in the 2020 competition (as team 20-6661), designed, and built a rocket. However, unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were not able to launch it.

Galileo Rocketry Website

Galilei

Galilei was a solid-motor rocket with a target apogee of 800 ft built by students at Galileo Rocketry to compete in the 2020 American Rocketry Competition (TARC).

The Rocket

Galilei was designed to compete in the 2020 American Rocketry Competition. The goal of the competition is to launch a rocket to 800 ft, have a flight time between 40 and 43 seconds, and have an egg as a payload (remain uncracked throughout the flight). The score is determined based on how close to those goals your rocket can get. The full details of the rules can be read here.

The main body tube (fuselage) is constructed of 54mm Blue Tube, a high-strength vulcanized fiber wound into a tube. The rocket is split into two sections. The top section houses the payload and altimeter and is capped by an elliptical nosecone. The bottom section houses the recovery system, motor, and fins. Galilei has 3 elliptical fins integrated into a 3D-printed fin can that holds the motor and also acts as a boattail.