Chief Design Engineer

Senior - Electrical Engineering (Automatic Controls, Power & Energy Systems)

Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Dakota's passion for robotics and autonomous controls combined with his love of space and space exploration brought him to Purdue Orbital as a freshman. In his role as Chief Engineer, Dakota hopes to assist teammates in both professional and technical growth as they work together to push the envelope of space accessibility. Outside of the team, Dakota plays saxophone in the Purdue University Bands and enjoys playing disc golf and basketball.

Director of Research & Development

Junior - Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering (Dynamics & Controls, Aerospace Systems Design)

Jonathan Webb is a junior from New York who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering as well as an Entrepreneurship Certificate. This is his fourth year with Orbital and he is very excited to be working with such an enthusiastic team. His hobbies include playing tennis and music. Jonathan is an aspiring flight controller at NASA and hopes to pursue that goal after graduation.

Chief Systems Engineer

Sophomore - Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering

Josh is from Philadelphia and loves to rock climb. He has loved space ever since he read the Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov. Josh plans on contributing to Orbital by ensuring that safe and goal-minded actions are taken, and that all the members are working towards the big picture goal. Josh hopes to work as a Systems Engineer for NASA in Mission Design, and to eventually go to ​​​​​​​Mars!

Operations Director

Sophomore - Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering

Adithye is from India but has been living in Dubai, UAE. He joined Orbital in Fall 2017 as part of Small Scale Prototype and Test Team. He was also involved with Outreach.

The Cosmos series by Carl Sagan propelled him into the unknown wonders of space and has kept him fascinated. He plans on joining Josh on Mars.

Outside of Orbital, he is part of 3DPC, which provides 3D printing services to students. He also paints and plays badminton in his free time.

Treasurer

Junior - Accounting & Finance

Tiffany is from Saratoga, California (about an hour from San Francisco). She is fascinated by the innovation that exists within the aerospace industry as well as the absolute vastness of space. In her free time, Tiffany enjoys hiking, listening to new music, reading, and rock climbing.

Ground Station/Telecommunications Design Lead

Junior - Computer Science (Software Engineering and Machine Intelligence)

Ken is originally from Washington D.C, but mostly grew up in Chicago, IL. He joined Purdue Orbital as a result of his passion involving space exploration and the advancement of the technology that comes from the industry. Outside of Orbital, Ken enjoys playing tennis, riding his bike, and working on personal projects.

Avionics Design Lead

Junior - Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering

Colin is from Baltimore and was interested in space from an early age but what really kicked it off was when he saw a launch from Wallops carrying a probe to the moon. Outside of Orbital, he'll often be practicing French horn in Elliott, taking care of his plants, or listening to music.

Launch Structure Design Lead

Junior - Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering

Matt is originally from Chicago, IL. He found his passion for space exploration at a young age during a middle school astronomy class. This then lead Matt to Purdue to pursue an engineering degree and future plans to work in the space industry. After hearing about the ambitious goals of Purdue Orbital, Matt was eager to join the team as a freshman. In his free time, Matt likes to go hiking and backpacking.

Payload Design Lead

Junior - Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering

Sarah is from Greenwood Indiana, a town twenty minutes south of Indianapolis. She's always been interested in space, and when she was a kid she wanted to be an astronomer and got a telescope for Christmas in the 5th grade. Outside of the team, Sarah likes to go hiking and caving and she also has been a part of the Swing Dancing Club and the Salsa Dancing Club.

Flight Systems Design Lead

Sophomore – Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering

Justin is originally from Kobe, Japan but has lived in Houston, Texas and Singapore. His long time passion for space and innovation brought him to Purdue Orbital his freshmen year. The culture were everything is designed from the bottom up has made him passionate for the success of Purdue Orbital.

Justin also has been playing Ice Hockey since he was 5 years old, and currently plays on the club team on campus. He also plays Volleyball, Baseball and loves to go hiking.

Mission Analysis Design Lead

Junior - Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering         

Mike is from Albany, New York and is going into his second year with the team. He became interested in aerospace engineering after reading an article in Popular Science about student rocketry. Outside of Orbital, Mike enjoys spending time reading, playing the guitar, and running.

Flight Operations Design Lead

Junior - Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering

Cullen is a junior from Wheaton, Illinois and tries to spend as much time in Chicago as possible. His interest in aerospace comes from the possibility of allowing faster cheaper, and more accessible means of transportation for everyone. Outside of Orbital, he enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and camping.

Mission Visualization Services Design Lead

Sophomore - Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering

Collin is a sophomore from Elmhurst IL, and actively committed to ensuring that Purdue Orbital had an awesome video by the end of the year.

Experimental Rocket Design Lead

Senior - Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering (Propulsion, Aerospace Systems Design)

Harrison is from Boise, Idaho. He loves to go backpacking, camping, mountain biking and is obsessed with space history. Harrison is focusing on rocket propulsion and spacecraft design, and he wants to build rocket engines someday.