Miami University’s Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (MURPL), a sub-organization of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics chapter on campus, has secured a coveted spot among the 150 collegiate teams competing at the 2023 Spaceport America Cup in New Mexico. As the 56th team selected, MURPL joins the largest rocket engineering competition in the world, drawing over 1,500 students and faculty to the high desert for a week of launches, technical presentations, and industry networking.
The team’s entry, a rocket named Aurora, represents Miami’s first student-built launch vehicle. Designed to meet the competition’s 10,000-foot target altitude, Aurora is the product of a year-long effort initiated by co-captains Aayush Gadal and Sawyer Martini. Their vision was to create a hands-on engineering challenge that would not only advance students’ aerospace skills but also strengthen the university’s ties to the broader space industry.
Martini and Gadal’s approach began with reconnaissance. In 2022, they attended the Spaceport America Cup as observers, taking careful note of technical strategies, organizational structures, and the dynamics of competition-day operations. They also engaged directly with representatives from major aerospace firms, including Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, Northrop Grumman, and Sierra Space. These interactions provided insight into the professional pathways open to student rocketeers and underscored the value of the event as a recruiting ground.
From inception, MURPL attracted students from diverse technical backgrounds. Secretary Ethan Chapel recalled his initial hesitation when asked to lead the avionics effort: “It was crazy. Sawyer and Aayush brought up this competition and asked me to lead the computer side of things. I was skeptical at first, but once I was able to amalgam a basic flight computer out of an arduino and some old sensors, I knew we were on to something.” Chapel’s early prototype laid the foundation for a more robust flight computer capable of handling telemetry, altitude tracking, and recovery system deployment.
Aurora’s development demanded a multidisciplinary approach. Structural design required careful material selection to balance strength and weight, while propulsion work focused on optimizing motor performance for the specific altitude goal. Guidance and control systems had to be integrated with the avionics package, ensuring reliable data acquisition and command execution during the high-stress environment of launch and ascent. Safety protocols, a critical component of any rocket project, were developed in compliance with both university guidelines and the stringent requirements of the Spaceport America Cup.
The competition itself is staged at Spaceport America, a purpose-built commercial launch facility in Southern New Mexico. Its infrastructure supports a wide range of launch activities, from amateur high-power rockets to commercial spaceflight operations. For student teams, the venue offers access to professional-grade launch pads, tracking systems, and range safety oversight—conditions that closely mirror those encountered in industry.
Participation in the Cup offers more than a chance to demonstrate engineering prowess. The event fosters collaboration between institutions, enabling teams to exchange technical insights and share lessons learned from design and testing phases. It also serves as a bridge between academia and industry, with aerospace companies using the competition to scout emerging talent and promote innovation.
For MURPL, Aurora’s launch will mark a milestone in Miami University’s aerospace ambitions. The project has already catalyzed interest among undergraduates in fields ranging from mechanical engineering to computer science, and it has provided a tangible platform for applying classroom theory to complex, real-world challenges. By advancing through design, fabrication, and testing toward a competitive launch, the team exemplifies the experiential learning model that Gadal and Martini envisioned when they founded the group.