Axiom Materials Partners With the Rocket Project at UCLA

Aerospace is one of our passions here at Axiom Materials. Whenever we have the opportunity to help push aerospace engineering forward, we jump at the chance. That is exactly what we did when we partnered with the Rocket Project at UCLA last year. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with the program.

What the Program Does

The Rocket Project at UCLA is a program geared toward teaching rocket engineering to a student team consisting of some very talented young people. The project emphasizes hands-on exposure to engineering by challenging the students to completely design, build, and test their ideas in a real-world application.

Simply put, the team gets to design and build its own rockets based on what they have learned in the classroom. They test what they build, thereby learning what works and what doesn’t. Making it all possible are the partnerships that provide the materials and funding to keep the project going.

A Carbon Fiber Donation

Last year, our partnership with the project saw us donating carbon fiber the team used to construct liquid rockets. We recently received an email message from the UCLA Rocket Project’s Logan Cheney, updating us about how our donation impacted team efforts. Here is a small portion of what he had to say:

“Using Axiom’s carbon fiber, we were able to set the world record for collegiate liquid rockets with a successful launch and recovery to 22,437 ft! Axiom was crucial to that success – we used your carbon fiber to create most of the airframe and primary structures of the vehicle. AX-5201T/M is by far one of the best materials we’ve worked with – it’s easy to lay up, quick to cure, and incredibly strong. Thank you so much again for last year’s donation!”

Needless to say, we are incredibly pleased to hear that the UCLA team is doing so well with rocket engineering. The school is producing the next generation of rocket engineers who will lead this nation to even greater heights of space exploration and scientific discovery.

Space Is a Tough Environment

Engineers working on projects like rockets and space capsules face a daunting task. Space is an extremely tough environment on just about anything we send up there. If materials are not up to the challenge, they aren’t going to last. As a result, the use of composite materials is not even a question.

Composites are created by combining multiple materials whose properties are all enhanced when combined. The carbon fiber we provided for last year’s Rocket Project build was essentially a combination of carbon fiber fabric and specially designed resins.

The Rocket Project team members learn about rocket design, engineering, and building by coming up with ideas and implementing them. Meanwhile, the Axiom Materials team does the same thing here in Santa Ana, CA – along with our R&D Center in Henderson, NV.

We learn about composites by designing and producing new composite materials. Then we test them to verify integrity, strength, etc. Oftentimes we collaborate with clients in need of specialty composites no one has created yet. It is always an exciting adventure and one we are thrilled to be part of.

Keep Building Those Rockets

We are thrilled to be able to partner with the Rocket Project at UCLA. Every time they build and test a new rocket, new things are learned. Their studies are contributing to the wider body of knowledge that makes aerospace such a challenging and exciting industry. So keep building those rockets, team! Meanwhile, we will continue doing what we have always done: specialize in composite materials.