Undergraduate students participate in a rigorous design-and-build project focusing on the skills and knowledge unique to the field of aerospace engineering.
All projects provide students with focused mentoring, an opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary teamwork, practice communication skills and gain a deeper knowledge of regulatory requirements; fiscal and procurement management; social and ethical considerations and market awareness.
We offer a variety of project opportunities within the industry, student organizations and in-house research. Students also have the option to propose their own projects. Some of our past completed projects range from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), CubeSats, rocket launches, drones, and supersonic flight. Applications have covered search and rescue, wildlife conservation, essential deliveries, environmental preservation, and more.
Capstone options
When selecting a capstone project, students should weigh their research and subject interests, relevant skills to contribute and career goals.
Industry-sponsored
As part of the industry capstone program, students participate in company-sponsored projects that tackle real-world, multidisciplinary engineering problems while receiving support and mentorship from their sponsors.
Registered Student Organizations (RSO)
Students in select A&A-affiliated RSOs may choose to advance their annual projects through their senior capstone. Recent RSO capstones have included SARP, SEDS and A&A CubeSat.
In-house Research
Faculty-led research capstone projects advance the theoretical understanding of aerospace topics and can involve focused, specialized research or more expansive concepts. When sponsored by industry or government organizations, these projects generally entail wider aircraft design or space systems.
Large team projects must accommodate both domestic and international students, so the selected topics must not involve any constraints related to export-controlled material. Some projects may require US citizenship and/or NDA constraints.
2022-2023 projects
AeroTEC
This team will develop next generation test capabilities by the development of physical test vehicles, test sites, and an accompanying simulator. The simulator will have true-to-life design and will be used for future test team training.
AeroVironment
This team will demonstrate the feasibility of deploying two quadcopter aircraft from the payload bay of a hand-launchable UAV. A quadcopter will then recover from tumble after deployment and execute a mission to fly to a GPS located target where it will relay video footage back to a ground station.
Boeing Structural
This team will optimize the design of a DC-9 passenger airplane door hinge. The component will be optimized for material strength and structural design while conforming to space constraints.
Boeing Utility Freighter
This team will design a purpose built freighter for use in servicing small airports in outlying areas. The freighter will prioritize sustainability and will be able to carry the same main deck ULDs used by heavy freighters along with carrying a mechanism for loading and unloading with limited ground handling equipment.
Empowered Startups
This team will design and manufacture a RC drone prototype to monitor and record real-time environmental conditions beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS). The drone will accompany software that uploads recorded data to a cloud and presents it in a user-friendly and easily processable format.
Formula SAE Space Frame Attachment
This team will design and manufacture novel attachment joints to connect the vehicles’ carbon fiber space frame to its monocoque chassis. The team will perform a trade study of different types of attachment points to optimize and validate joint strength.
HSL Thruster
This team will develop a cold gas propulsion system for stable control of a cubesat in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This system will be functionable for a variety of ultrasmall satellites and will provide thrust to enable impulsive orbit maneuvers.
NASA SCALOS
This team will contribute to a 3-year NASA university-led Commercial Supersonics Technology project by studying and selecting supersonic commercial configurations that demonstrate acceptable low-speed performance and low-sonic boom characteristics. Their goal is to conduct research on the low speed performance of such configurations utilizing CFD and wind tunnel tests of scaled radio-controlled flight test models.
NASA SUITS
This team will work on developing an innovative spacesuit user interface leveraging augmented reality. The AR software will incorporate peripheral devices and provide Artemis astronauts with appropriate human-autonomy enabling technology necessary for the elevated demands of lunar surface exploration and terrestrial access.
SARP Composite Overlayed Nose Cone
This team will develop a carbon fiber nose cone utilizing more simple and efficient manufacturing techniques. The nose cone will sit atop a solid-propelled rocket and be aerodynamically and structurally optimized for projected rocket performance.
SARP Electropump
This team will develop the design tools necessary to manufacture electric turbomachinery for high performance rocket engines. The system will be able to handle cryogenic transport, meet current requirements in terms of SARP’s next-generation engines, and will aim to match industry capabilities.
SARP Cold Gas Reaction Control System
This team will develop a cold gas reaction control system for active control of the SARP rocket in a vacuum. This system will be functionable in space after rocket burnout and will provide stability and partially replace fin function during launch.
Turion Space
This team will develop a testing apparatus for space-rated attachment mechanisms purposed for active removal of space debris as well as service and manufacture operations of satellites in orbit. The test mechanism will be functional in vacuum to replicate a space-like environment.
2020-2021 projects
AeroVironment UAV
This team will demonstrate the feasibility of deploying one or more quadcopter aircraft from the payload bay of an RC plane. The quadcopter will then recover from tumble and execute a mission to fly to a GPS located target where it will relay video footage back to a ground station.
Garrett Jordan, Monica Kim, Max McGowan, Icevar Naguleswaran, Devon Smith, Chris Won.
Advisers: Matt Keenon and Kristi Morgansen
Applewhite Baton
This team will lock down a configuration for the Applewhite Aero Baton Prototype. Applewhite wants to streamline compatibility of their parts. Additionally, they are creating and implementing an interface for autonomous deployment of the Baton (from an air vehicle).
Joseph Bellevue, Jillian Hottelli, Janet Liu, Brian Mach, Haley Stewart, Ethan Uehara
Adviser: Kristi Morgansen
Boeing Disaster Response UAV
This team will design an emergency response, high endurance UAV, carrying a payload that can provide cellular coverage to an operating area in addition to cameras. Some of their requirements include a minimum of 12 hours endurance and a takeoff and land within 1000 feet.
Isaiah Cuadras, Drake King, Jacqueline Marquette, Howard Peng, Sam Reissman, Eric Rubhaka, Quintin Serrano, Victor Via, Jinhee Xu, Mitsuki Yonder
Advisers: Gary Cohen, Eli Levin, and Matthew Orr
NASA Supersonic Airplane Design (SCALOS)
This team will contribute to a 3-year NASA university-led Commercial Supersonics Technology project by studying and selecting supersonic commercial configurations that demonstrate acceptable low-speed performance and low-sonic boom characteristics. Their goal is to conduct design, analysis, and development of performance and S&C predictions via simulation software to further define the Supersonic Cruise Reference airliner concept for use by the NASA grant SCALOS effort.
Austin Chandra, Brendan Geffe, Nathan Han, Danny Beeson, Colton Hill, Anant Kapur, Shelby Lee, Zhangsheng Lian, Pascal Nagata, Anwar Moustafa, Ignacio Re, Michael Stemen, Vinsensius
Advisers: Eli Livne and Chet Nelson
6U Cubesat: Maratus Mission
This team will launch and operation a 6U satellite holding an optical payload designed to measure ambient gases between galaxies. Their goal is to collect data to improve the current computational model of the circumgalactic medium.
Nicholas Chu, Athil George, Thomas Key, Luke Kuklenski, Carie Lai, Jae Lee, Josh MacLurg, Nicholas Sianghio, Nicholas Toyama, Eric Wills
Advisers: Charlie Kelly and Taylor Reynolds
SARP Propulsion: Aerospike Nozzle
This team will develop a subscale rocket engine utilizing an aerospike nozzle geometry with implementation of thrust vector control using fluid injection.
Kristina Dong, Josh Forsythe, Michelle Graebner, Adrian Lo, Jared Smythe, Zach Tom, Oliver Ruo, Chris van den Heuvel, Catherine Wilborn
Advisers: Jim Hermanson and Ms. Nyssa Thompson
SARP Structures: Composite Recovery Coupler
This team will create a lighter, stronger Recovery Coupler for the current SARP rocket, Pacific Impulse, out of composite material.
Greg Boyce, Zach Gommi, Cat Hannahs, Gabby McDaniel, Toby Moreno
Advisers: Ed Habtour and Kiefer Dundas (Janicki Industries)
SEDS: RRC Multistage Rocket
This team will design, construct, and fly a 1 kg scientific payload to an altitude of 10K ft on a rocket with the use of only Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) motors.
Alex Barbera, Bao Truong, Caroline Paxton, Kyle Fisher, Noah Piper, Steven Tu, Taylor Mills, Wenkang Wang
Adviser: Kristi Morgansen
SOC-i Cubesat: GNC Hardware
This team will create a GNC sensor and actuator system. This is done through a GNC operating loop, which runs continuously during flight to control the satellite’s altitude.
Branton Bradford, Ryan Lorette, William Pope, Alex Zhen
Advisers: Charlie Kelly and Taylor Reynolds
Past projects
2019-2020
- Airbus | Battery Swapping System for Electric Aircraft
- Applewhite Aero | Baton, A Precision Delivery System
- Boeing | 50 & 76 Seat Regional Aircraft Family
- TLG Aerospace | Design for Robust Laminar Flow on High Lift Airfoils
- Vulcan| Improved Conservation UAV
2018-2019
- Boeing | Dedicated Air Freighter Design
- Boeing | Thermoplastic Composite Control Surface Integrated Wing Design/Build
- GKN Aerospace | Next Generation Midsize Airliner Lipskin Design Trade Study
- Latécoère | Aircraft Door Flight Lock
- magniX | The All-Electric Air Tractor
2017-2018
- AeroTEC | Trailing Pressure Measurement System
- AT&T | LTE Antenna for Tethered Drones
- Blue Origin | New Glenn Booster Robotic Approach
- Boeing | Hybrid-Electric STOL Air Taxi Design
- GKN Aerospace | Effect of Embedded Dissimilar Materials on the Fatigue Life of Honeycomb Panels
- GKN Aerospace | Flow Characteristics of Manufacturing Defects on Lip Skins and the Effect on Specific Fuel Consumption
- Sagetech | Angle of Attack Sensor for Small UAS
- Vulcan Technologies | Poacher Discovery and Tracking from an Aerial Vehicle
Industry-sponsored capstone program
The UW College of Engineering (COE) Industry Sponsored Capstone Program is a college-wide effort that is designed to provide effective project-based and team-based education of undergraduate students to meet the needs of engineering, science and industry.
To learn about sponsoring an Aeronautics & Astronautics Capstone project, visit the COE Industry Capstone Program.