Support our aerospace competition teams.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) at The University of Texas at Dallas (AIAA UTD) is a national student chapter on campus. Our students specialize in aerospace-based projects across four different branches: research, aviation, rocketry, and aerobotics. Our goal is to raise $2,000 to support each project to completion. These projects all require a large sum of costly materials, tools, and personal protective equipment. All the funds donated will go directly towards these endeavors, and any additional funds will be used to reduce competition travel costs for our students.

The Aerospace Research Corps (ARC) is our research branch that focuses on aerospace applications. Student teams have the opportunity to work on smaller-scale projects, such as our vertical wind axis turbine and drones. Once these projects are completed, students write a research paper for publication and present at the 2026 AIAA Region IV Student Conference. Last year, ARC published 4 papers; this year, they are aiming to publish 6.

Comet Aviation is our team’s fixed-wing aviation branch. Their competition team, Design, Build, Fly (DBF), is focusing on manufacturing an airplane to represent the University on an international stage at the annual DBF competition. Last year, they placed 21st internationally and 2nd in Texas. This year, they plan to do even better with a significantly improved design. Additionally, they have a learning program, Aviation Design Challenge(ADC). At ADC, they form teams of 4-5 people to build a small RC plane and complete a series of objectives, allowing them to develop the skills necessary to be successful in the competition team.

In a similar category, Comet Rocketry focuses on building high-powered rockets, offering the L1 Design Project to prepare members for the technical subteams and L1 certification. The competition team will participate in the International Rocket Engineering Competition in the 10k Student-Researched and Developed category and Lone Star Cup for the 2nd year in a row, the latter of which they ranked 3rd in.

Continuing the focus on all things outer space, Comet Aerobotics, the newest part of our team, focuses on solving complex problems regarding aerospace robotics. Their team is in the process of manufacturing a newly designed rover to compete in the NASA Lunabotics challenge down in Florida.

Aerospace engineering is not offered as a major at UT Dallas, but there is a significant interest among students. Our student organization bridges that gap and aims to provide students with the basic skills and experience that they need to enter the aerospace industry or any other field they desire. Our club began as a research-based student organization, but over the years, it has grown into the four branches we see today. In addition to project experience, we offer our members a variety of networking and professional development opportunities through workshops, industry tours, and professional speaker events. Our goal is not only to equip students with the necessary knowledge but also the interpersonal skills to navigate different spaces. Your support helps make this possible, and on behalf of our entire team, we thank you.

Stay connected with us below!

Instagram: AIAA UT Dallas (@aiaa_utd) • Instagram photos and videos https://www.instagram.com/aiaa_utd/

LinkedIn: AIAA UT Dallas | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/aiaautd/

Website: aiaautd.org 

Email: aiaautdallas@gmail.com