Atomic Aggies build more than rockets

The rockets don’t come out of a box. 

For members of New Mexico State University’s Atomic Aggies, the work begins months before launch day. Members design, manufacture and test much of what will eventually soar thousands of feet into the air, gaining hands-on engineering experience long before graduation. 

“I haven’t taken an aerodynamics course yet,” said Joshua Davila, lead engineer of the Atomic Aggies. “I’m taking that this next semester, but I could tell you, I know a fair bit about aerodynamics from this club. I feel this club kind of helps you get those engineering concepts a lot more grounded.” 

Founded in 2018, the Atomic Aggies are NMSU’s collegiate rocketry team. The organization competes in the International Rocket Engineering Competition, where university teams from around the world design, build and launch high-powered rockets. 

The club began with single-stage rockets designed to reach 10,000 feet. Today, members are preparing two-stage rockets capable of reaching 30,000 feet. 

“So, a rocket on top of a rocket, launching off of each other up to 30,000 feet in the air,” Davila said. “This will be the second year we go on a two-stage.” 

Reaching those heights takes far more than assembling a rocket. Students build much of each vehicle themselves, from rolling carbon fiber and fiberglass tubes to producing fins and nose cones. Other members focus on avionics, recovery systems, payloads, finance, media and outreach, giving students opportunities to contribute in a variety of ways. 

“Everything is built in-house,” Davila said. “We buy rolls of carbon fiber and fiberglass and roll our tubes, make our fins, and do the nose cone. Everything’s done in-house at NMSU.” 

The organization continues expanding its technical capabilities through student research, including work on a custom avionics system, an active tracking antenna and new recovery technology. 

“Our club was kind of built for whatever you’re interested in,” Davila said. “We have a subteam for it.” 

Davila joined the Atomic Aggies as a freshman in 2024. By the end of his first year, he had worked with several of the club’s subteams and attended the International Rocket Engineering Competition. 

“Honestly, after launching my first rocket, it kind of got me hooked,” he said. 

That experience eventually led him to become the club’s lead engineer. Today, he encourages more student research and development while helping lead the team’s next generation of rockets. 

“I think one of the biggest things that helps set students apart is being part of clubs,” Davila said. “You’re building the airframe — you’re designing the avionics. Then, in the end, you’re flying it.” 

The lessons, he said, extend beyond technical skills. 

“It also helps with design,” Davila said. “You’re going to see failures that engineers with their simulations may not see. And you also understand that simulations don’t equal reality. There is always going to be human error involved. It’s just how do we mitigate it?” 

The Atomic Aggies also share those experiences through outreach across southern New Mexico. Karen Kincaid-Brady, executive director of the New Mexico Museum of Space History, said the museum invited the club to partner on its Apollo to Artemis programming because of its expertise and longstanding relationship with NMSU. 

“It’s their expertise in rocket building and their STEM connection — we love NMSU and really value that partnership,” Kincaid-Brady said. They’re so important because it really brings out the joy and excitement of these types of programming, and this is the way that we continue to inspire future engineers.” 

For Davila, the goal extends beyond competition. 

“I think the biggest thing is to leave with the confidence to ask questions,” he said. “Once they launch their first rocket, they continue asking questions… I feel afterwards, you’re going to have a greater appreciation for it.” 

The organization also welcomes students from Doña Ana Community College and continues seeking financial and technical sponsors to support future projects.