The MIT First Nations Launch (FNL) team, composed of Indigenous engineers, has made significant strides in aerospace engineering. In their first year, they recreated a rocket design, finishing second and earning the Rookie Team of the Year title. For the 2023-24 season, they built a rocket with a 7.5-inch diameter airframe to carry a deployable drone. The drone had to fit inside the rocket, deploy at an apogee of 2,136 feet, unfold to 16 by 16 inches, descend by parachute to 500 feet, and then navigate to a landing pad. Two team members obtained FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificates to operate the drone. Despite a near-catastrophic motor mount failure during a competition in Kenosha, Wisconsin, they secured a safe launch and recovery, earning the Next Step Award, a $15,000 grant, and later, the grand prize. This success included a VIP trip to Kennedy Space Center, where they explored key facilities and witnessed a Starlink launch. The team’s approach emphasizes universal consensus and personal success, integrating cultural practices like smudging ceremonies into their engineering process.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
