Propulsion
Motor design / manufacturing / test
Motor design, manufacture, and static-fire testing for both stages of the solid-fuel vehicle, coordinated with structures, systems, safety, and launch operations.
UCF AIAA + SEDS / Seagate Space
UCF's first
space shot.
Project Neptune is building UCF's first rocket to reach space, launching from Nevada in 2028. Before that, the team flies two high-altitude launches from an offshore barge in the Gulf, the first by a collegiate team.
Platform: Seagate Space Gateway-S
- Altitude goal
- 100 km
- Test flight
- May 2027
- Final flight
- Sep 2028
- Subteams
- 7 teams
Overview
An AIAA & SEDS at UCF collaboration.
Project Neptune is the joint engineering program of AIAA and SEDS, two of UCF's aerospace student organizations, developed with technical guidance from UCF faculty and program partner Seagate Space.
Launching from an offshore barge brings challenges a fixed range does not: ocean environmental exposure and a moving deck. It also offers advantages, including flexibility in launch azimuth and a downrange clear of populated areas. The work builds direct experience with the sea-launch operations Seagate Space is developing on its own platforms.
Design work began in August 2026. The first test vehicle flies in May 2027, off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida. A second sea launch follows in May 2028, and the two-stage, solid-fuel final vehicle is scheduled to launch to space from Nevada around September 2028.
Platform: Seagate Space Gateway-S
Schedule
Preliminary schedule.
From initial planning through two launches from sea, then a final flight to space from Nevada.
Phase 01 of 10
Planning and design
Establish system requirements, define mass and performance budgets, and assign subteam ownership. Vehicle sizing, staging, and motor selection are worked in this phase and frozen at the preliminary design review.
Subteams
Project structure.
Each subteam owns a part of the vehicle and works under the Management Committee.
Management Committee
E-board leadership from AIAA and SEDS actively working on the program. The committee makes the managerial and executive decisions: selecting subteam leads, financial decisions, and outreach. Marketing and any further committees sit under it.
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
Requirements / budgets / design reviews
Vehicle-level requirements, mass and power budgets, risk management, and design review readiness across the program.
Test & Integration
Verification / validation / assembly
Integration procedures for the assembled vehicle, verification and validation against requirements, and the test campaign that measures performance against the analytical models.
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 as UCF students is required to join the team.
Project Neptune is open to students from any major. You will work on and learn machining, electronics, software, structural analysis, technical writing, 3D modeling, media production, and supplier coordination.
- Join AIAA or SEDS at UCF. Either one. Membership in a single organization is all that is required.
- Join the Project Neptune Discord. A separate server from either club's, linked below.
- Get verified in the server. Verification opens the subteam and program channels, where meeting times and onboarding are posted.
Alumni are welcome in the Discord to follow the program.
Sponsorship
Put the space in SpaceU.
Sponsorship tiers and recognition benefits. Giving instructions are in the packet.
Program partners
Seagate Space provides the Gateway-S offshore launch platform and technical guidance on sea-launch operations.
Monster Energy keeps the team supplied with Monster Energy drinks.
Supporter
The Florida High Tech Corridor supports Seagate Space on the maritime side of the program.
Sponsor the mission
Support the University of Central Florida, in partnership with Seagate Space, as AIAA and SEDS work toward UCF's first space shot, including the first collegiate rocket launched from an offshore barge.
Contributions help the team reach at least 100 km (about 328,000 ft) while building the next generation of engineers, scientists, and explorers.
Contribution levels
Sponsorship tiers.
Triton
$10,000+
Proteus
$5,000–$9,999
Nereid
$1,000–$4,999
Larissa
$500–$999
Galatea
$100–$499
Recognition
Benefits by tier.
All sponsors receive a website highlight, social media post, logo on the project presentation, small logo on club shirt(s), and sponsor name recognition in project credits.
| Benefit | Triton | Proteus | Nereid | Larissa | Galatea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoutout in project presentation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Base benefits only |
| Small logo on rocket | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Large logo on club shirt(s) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Custom sponsor plaque | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - |
| Shoutout on final project video | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - |
| Large logo on rocket | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - |
| Sponsor feature video | ✓ | - | - | - | - |
Ready to talk sponsorship? Contact either UCF organization and CC the other so both boards see the conversation.
Leadership
The people running the program.
The Management Committee makes the program's executive decisions. Each subteam lead owns one part of the program.
Management Committee
AIAA President
Alex Plant
SEDS Vice President
Jasmine Awad
AIAA Vice President
Brayden Herzberg
SEDS Director of External Affairs
Shelby Wooten
AIAA Project Chair
Andro Fuentes Lopez
SEDS Director of Projects
Sachin Saravanan
AIAA Secretary
Grant Fischer
SEDS Secretary
Zachariah Iverson
AIAA Treasurer
Daniel Brandenburg
SEDS Treasurer
James Bruno
Subteam and Committee Leads
Aerostructures Lead
Brandon Bray
Electronics Lead
Keagan Bowman
Propulsion Lead
Chase Johnson
Systems Lead
Logan Lang
Recovery Lead
JT Intile
Logistics Lead
Chris Teodoru
Test & Integration Lead
Nikos Zentefis
Marketing Committee Lead
Stephen Roland
Media
Program media.
Photographs and concept renders from across the program, newest first.
Contact
Get in touch.
Sponsorship, media, partnership, or general questions all go to either organization. Copy the other address so both boards see the conversation.
Program partner / Gateway-S launch platform
