A team of senior students from NMSU’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering recently took first place at the 2025 Aerospace Propulsion Outreach Program (APOP), hosted by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Their outstanding performance also earned them recognition during the MAE Capstone Design Showcase, marking a dual achievement in innovation and applied engineering.
This year’s APOP competition brought together 19 universities at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The student teams were challenged to design, build, and test a variable geometry nozzle for the JetCat P100-RX turbojet engine—balancing factors such as thrust performance, weight, actuation range, and design simplicity.
The NMSU team’s nozzle achieved a thrust range of 8.37 lbs and earned a final score of 126 out of 140, securing first place overall and the Practicality Award for the most flight-ready design. Judges praised the team's approach for its simplicity, robustness, and effective trade-offs in design optimization.
“We turned our focus to achieving the maximum thrust and largest thrust range, which meant our nozzle was a little larger and heavier than some of the other teams,” explained the team’s lead engineer and project manager. “But this made our nozzle stand out—it was simple, reliable, and capable of achieving a very large area range.”
Unlike some competitors that opted for more complex systems, the NMSU team’s nozzle had fewer parts and minimized failure points—key factors that impressed the judges and contributed to their top score.
The capstone project was conducted entirely in-house, thanks to support from NMSU’s Aggie Innovation Space (AIS) lab. Students rapidly prototyped cold flow models using 3D-printed plastic and later used AIS facilities to metal 3D print their final nozzle in stainless steel, allowing time for full-scale hot-fire testing before the competition.
“Completing the entire project under NMSU’s roof is something we’re proud of. Many schools have to outsource manufacturing, but we had the resources and support here to move fast and stay on track,” the team shared.
Team Members:
Zach White – Design Engineer, Hardware & Assembly Specialist
Tori-Anne Platero – Lead CAD & Design Engineer, Manufacturing
Aydyn Bush – Electrical Engineer, Control System Designer
Grayson Guerra – Simulations & Analysis
Team Lead: Name withheld pending final edits
Faculty advisors Dr. Andreas Gross and Dr. Fangjun Shu provided essential support throughout the project. Both faculty members have a long history of mentoring APOP teams, and their hands-on guidance in theory, testing, and design played a key role in the team's success.
The project also shaped students’ future goals. One team member, with prior experience in rocket and nuclear propulsion, shared that the APOP experience was their first exposure to air-breathing propulsion and confirmed their aspiration to pursue a career as a propulsion engineer.
“This was the perfect project for me—it brought everything together: theory, design, testing, and real-world problem solving. It also showed me what a high-functioning team looks like and how powerful collaboration can be.”
