Propulsion
Motor design / manufacturing / test
Evaluation of candidate vehicle architectures and development of the selected motor approach, coordinated with structures, systems, safety, and launch operations.
UCF AIAA + SEDS / Seagate Space
100 km up.
Starting offshore.
One hundred kilometers is the internationally recognized boundary of space. Project Neptune is developing a rocket to reach that altitude from an offshore launch platform and to recover the vehicle after flight.
- Altitude goal
- 100 km
- Test flight
- May 2027
- Final flight
- May 2028
- Subteams
- 6 teams
Overview
Two clubs, one rocket.
AIAA and SEDS are the two aerospace organizations at UCF. Project Neptune is their joint engineering program, developed with technical guidance from Seagate Space and UCF faculty.
Launching at sea adds constraints: salt-water exposure, an offshore launch platform, and hardware that must survive transit and post-flight recovery. Those constraints shape every design decision.
Design work begins in August 2026. A test vehicle flies in May 2027, its flight data informs a full redesign, and the final vehicle is scheduled for May 2028.
Media
Program media.
Renders, test footage, and build documentation from across the program.
Schedule
Timeline.
From initial requirements through two launch campaigns, with a test flight to validate the design before the final vehicle is built.
Phase 01 of 08
Planning and design
Establish system requirements, define mass and performance budgets, and assign subteam ownership. Candidate vehicle configurations are compared in this phase. Selection follows at the preliminary design review.
Subteams
Subteam Breakdown.
Each subteam owns part of the vehicle and answers for it through a lead.
Aerostructures
Airframe / structures / fabrication
Airframe design for both stages, structural analysis and load cases, material selection, and fabrication of the primary structure.
Recovery
Parachutes / flotation / water recovery
Parachute sizing and deployment, flotation, and the recovery test program that qualifies the vehicle for salt-water retrieval.
Electronics
Avionics / telemetry / ground support
Flight avionics, telemetry and radio links, ground support equipment, data acquisition, and the event timing that has to fire on schedule for staging and recovery.
Systems, Test and Integration
Requirements / verification / integration
Vehicle-level requirements, mass and power budgets, verification and validation, integration procedures, risk management, and design review readiness.
Logistics
Procurement / inventory / sponsorship
Procurement, inventory control, budget tracking, transportation, lodging, and sponsor coordination across the program.
Membership
Join the team.
Membership in AIAA or SEDS at UCF is the entry point to the program.
Project Neptune is open to students from any major. The program requires machining, electronics, software, structural analysis, technical writing, 3D modeling, media production, and supplier coordination. Join either organization to begin; onboarding details are distributed to members.
Subteam lead applications
Lead positions are open now.
- Propulsion
- Aerostructures, Recovery, Electronics, Systems, Logistics
Sponsorship
Support the program.
Students learn aerospace by building flight hardware. That requires material, machine time, and the logistics to operate offshore.
Funding
Materials, test hardware, transportation, lodging, and launch operations. These costs determine how much the team can test before flight.
In-kind support
Machining, fabrication, electronics, software, facilities, or shipping. Donated capability is worth as much to the program as direct funding.
Expertise and access
Sit in on a design review, mentor a subteam, or open up qualified equipment and personnel.
Sponsorship is coordinated through the two organizations. Contact either to begin a conversation.