SDSU Rocket Project

05/08/2026

Huge shoutout to our 2025-2026 leadership team:

Parth Solanki - President
Aaron Goldis - Chief Technical Officer
Anika Raj - Treasurer
Madeline Baird - Secretary
Annitha Krishnan - Outreach Manager
Eric D**g - Avionics Manager
Morgan Cadez - Fluids Manager
Mika Nash - Icarus Project Manager
Jake Almond - Manufacturing Manager
Brady Nemes - Propulsion Manager
Sofia Segos - Structures Manager

Designing, testing, and building a rocket all within one school year is an incredible accomplishment, and none of it would’ve been possible without your leadership and commitment. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the team and for helping make this year such a success 🚀

05/03/2026

On April 25th, at 8:57 AM, Tezcatlipoca (TEZ) launched to 35,604.4 ft at FAR. After a beautiful ascent, TEZ experienced a recovery failure that caused the nose cone to drift nearly 70 miles while the rest of the vehicle came down ballistic.

After hours of digging, towing, and a lot of determination, we successfully recovered the fuel tank, lower airframe, and a relatively unscathed Anathema.

We are incredibly proud of what this team accomplished in just one year. Designing, building, and launching a rocket of this scale required countless late nights, relentless dedication, and an immense amount of teamwork from everyone involved. This project has always been about more than just the rocket; it’s about a group of people pushing each other to achieve something ambitious together.

For those who want to watch the launch, we livestreamed the flight with live commentary on YouTube. The link can be found in our bio!

Thank you to everyone who supported TEZ and helped make this launch possible!

04/14/2026

Last week, our team proudly showcased the finished liquid rocket, Tezcatlipoca.

Standing at 16 ft 4 in tall with an 8 in diameter, Tezcatlipoca is powered by an ethanol/LOX regenerative engine producing 1,000 lbs of thrust. For this mission, we will be reflying the same flight engine used on our previous rocket, Aetherios, and we are hoping to become the first student team to successfully refly a rocket engine. The vehicle is also lighter than our previous rocket, allowing us to continue pushing the boundaries of what our team can achieve.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support the team. This milestone would not be possible without the dedication, hard work, and collaboration of our members and supporters.

Stay tuned as we approach launch day on April 25. 🚀

03/31/2026

We’re wrapping up Women’s History Month by celebrating the amazing women on our team! SO grateful for their dedication and the inspiring community they build together 💖🚀

03/25/2026

We completed a double hot fire and a recovery rocket launch all before 2 pm! During the second hot fire, Tezcatlipoca reached about 1000 lbf with an 18-second burn, and we were able to dial in our pressures. The data is looking strong, and we’re one step closer to launch.

Our recovery rocket had a great ascent and successfully deployed the drogue at apogee. While the main chute didn’t deploy as planned, we’re digging into the data and continuing to learn from every test.

Couldn’t be more proud of the work everyone put in!

03/25/2026

03/17/2026

On April 9 at 3 PM, we’ll be unveiling our liquid rocket, Tezcatlipoca, in the EIS Courtyard on the SDSU campus. 🚀

Our team has worked all year to bring this rocket to life, and we’re excited to finally share it with you all. We’d love your support. Stop by to see the rocket up close and celebrate this milestone with us!

02/13/2026

On Feburary 7, 2026, we had two launches at FAR! 🚀🚀

Recovery Rocket (NEMO) took off with a beautiful ascent as we continued pushing it to better simulate Tezcatlipoca apogee conditions. While we experienced a main-at-apogee event, NEMO still achieved a soft touchdown. The main parachute sustained a few broken shroud lines, but overall the vehicle performed well and gave us valuable recovery data.

Later in the day, Mini 2, Icarus’s two-stage demonstrator, took flight. We successfully lit the sustainer, demonstrating our two-stage capabilities. Both stages were recovered safely with no damage. The team was able to obtain valuable data in preperation for their next two-stage.

01/24/2026

We successfully tested our new recovery system, which validated the concept behind our chute cannon. We also developed a new system-arming approach that enhances safety and reliability moving forward. The build was fully recovered and we will be back at Friends of Amateur Rocketry to relaunch at the beginning of February. 🚀

01/12/2026

New member GBMs are coming up! Attend either date to begin the process of joining our team. For full onboarding details, visit: www.sdsurocketproject.org/join
🚀