Led a team of four through the full conceptual design of a 3-stage, 134 ft launch vehicle capable of delivering a 5,000 lb payload to low Earth orbit. Authored the team charter at project outset, directed weekly milestone execution, and produced a 20+ page technical report covering trajectory and structural analysis.
Orchestrated the formal presentation to peers and faculty — articulating propulsion selection and cost-benefit trade-offs across all design decisions.
Structural Analysis: Performed structural weight calculations for interstage adapters, nose cone fairings, bulkheads, and tanks using MATLAB. Iterated through multiple design configurations to optimize mass fraction and structural margins.
Cost Optimization: Calculated total vehicle cost of $23.87M and $4,773/lb to LEO through iterative optimization — balancing propulsion selection, structural weight, and payload requirements.
Team Leadership: Authored a team charter at project outset defining roles, responsibilities, and accountability standards. Directed weekly milestones and maintained adherence to the project timeline across all four team members.