Join as a Student

 

Build experience before you graduate. 
The Atomic Aggies give students hands-on, real-world project experience—no prior rocketry knowledge required. Learn through direct experience building, designing, and testing.  

The Atomic Aggies designs, manufactures, and tests high-power rockets each year for international-level competitions and research projects. We are a multidisciplinary student organization made up of members from all majors across the NMSU and DACC campuses. 

 

Pick Your Path — Get Involved Your Way 
You can participate at the level that fits your schedule and interests, from contributing to a single project to leading an entire subteam. 

 

Our Subteams include:
  • National Association of Rocketry (NAR) Chapter 
    Develop foundational rocketry skills and progress toward high-power rocketry certifications within a structured, safety-focused environment.
  • Manufacturing 
    Fabricate flight hardware through hands-on work in composites, machining, 3D printing, and final assembly. 
  • Avionics 
    Design, build, and test onboard electronics including sensors, telemetry systems, embedded software, and flight computers. 
  • Payload 
    Develop and integrate scientific experiments, research systems, and data-collection platforms flown on competition rockets. 
  • Recovery 
    Design, test, and validate parachutes, deployment mechanisms, and flight-critical safety systems. 
  • Special Projects 
    Conduct research and development through prototype testing, outreach builds, and experimental or one-off concepts. 
  • Media, Marketing & Creative Media 
    Create branding, graphic design, photography and video, social media content, recruitment materials, blogs, training resources, and outreach storytelling. 
  • Business & Operations 
    Develop and maintain sponsorship partnerships, coordinate fundraising initiatives, and manage budgeting, accounting, and organizational logistics. 

 

What You’ll Gain 
  • Experience working on a multidisciplinary engineering project 
  • Flexible involvement that works around your academic schedule 
  • Mentorship from experienced students and team leads 
  • Hands-on experience to boost your resume 
  • Opportunities to grow into leadership roles 

 

Companies our members have interned at: 
Los Alamos National Laboratory • Physical Science Laboratory  
White Sands Missile Range • Air Force Civilian Service • Spaceport America 
Aegis Aerospace • Virgin Galactic • Raytheon • BlueHalo • NASA 
 
Where our previous members work now: 
Kansas City National Security Campus • Lockheed Martin • Pratt & Whitney 
Virgin Galactic • Raytheon • SpaceX 
 
 How to Get Involved 
Discord is our primary communication hub — join to get: 
  • Announcements and upcoming events 
  • General meeting details 
  • Direct access to team leads and subteams 

Join our Discord 

You can also contact us via email or the Contact Us page on our website. 

We hold a general team meeting once a month. Meeting days and times vary, so please check the Discord events calendar for the most up-to-date information