What SEDS UCSD does

SEDS UCSD is a student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 87-2134674) headquartered at the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, California, founded in 2012. It is part of the international Students for the Exploration and Development of Space coalition and operates four project teams — Propulsion, Colossus, Halya, and Lander — focused on designing, building, and testing liquid bipropellant rocket engines and vehicles. The organization pioneered additive manufacturing for liquid rocket engines, achieving the world's first hot fire of a 3D-printed liquid engine in 2013 (Tri-D) and the first undergraduate launch of a rocket powered by a 3D-printed engine in May 2016 (Vulcan I with Ignus I). Current technical work includes the Nephas LOX/LNG engine (2,000 lbf, 4:1 throttling, thrust-vectoring, regenerative cooling), the Moonshine LOX/IPA engine (800 lbf), the Colossus trailer-mounted static fire test stand (up to 5,000 lbf), and vehicle programs Halya (supersonic sounding rocket targeting 45,000 ft at Mach 1.2), Riptide (self-landing suborbital vehicle), Atlas (Mars exploration drones), and Vesper.

The organization does not sell products or services commercially. It is funded entirely through donations and corporate sponsorships, with a formalized tiered program (platinum, gold, silver, bronze) that includes NASA as flagship partner and primes such as Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Collins Aerospace, and Northrop Grumman as core sponsors. Software, components, and instrumentation are contributed by Altium, Ansys, DigiKey, Edgertronic, and OSML, with UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering as host institution. Annual operating costs across all four rocketry programs are described as "tens of thousands of dollars." The Colossus test stand is also offered as shared infrastructure to other collegiate rocketry teams, and the SEDSxFEMxTR program partners with UCSD's Triton Racing Formula SAE team on a mentorship initiative for women and gender minorities in engineering.

SEDS UCSD serves a single primary segment: UC San Diego undergraduate and graduate students seeking industry-level hands-on experience in liquid rocketry, propulsion, structures, avionics, controls, and recovery systems. Membership ranges from 101 to 250 students with annual fall recruitment and rolling intake throughout the year. The organization's value proposition centers on building proprietary engine technology and test infrastructure that would otherwise be inaccessible at the collegiate level, while creating a talent pipeline into commercial aerospace employers.

Name

SEDS UCSD

Legal name

SEDS at UCSD

Website

https://sedsucsd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SEDS UCSD is a student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit at UC San Diego that designs, builds, and tests liquid bipropellant rocket engines and vehicles. It serves UCSD students seeking industry-level hands-on rocketry experience and is funded through corporate sponsorships led by NASA and aerospace primes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Collegiate Aerospace Propulsion Research

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415)

SIC

Engines & Turbines (3510), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Propulsion Test, Integration & Certification Services (IMABADAN)

Keywords

• Collegiate rocketry
• Liquid rocket engines
• Additive manufacturing propulsion
• Sounding rocket development
• Static fire testing

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 87-2134674), SEDS UCSD relies on donations and sponsorship from aerospace companies and individuals. Donations can be sent via Cash App ($sedsucsd). The annual cost of all four rocketry development programs comes out to tens of thousands of dollars per year.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SEDS UCSD is a student-led collegiate organization that designs, manufactures, and tests liquid bipropellant rocket engines and rocket vehicles at UC San Diego. Its core outputs are research and demonstration hardware, including additive-manufactured and machined rocket engines (Nephas, Moonshine, historical Tri-D, Ignus I/II, Callan), rocket vehicles (Halya sounding rocket, Riptide self-landing vehicle, Atlas exploration drones), and the Colossus static fire test infrastructure used to characterize engine performance.

Product overview

SEDS UCSD is a student rocketry organization developing a portfolio of rocket engines and vehicles. Core products include Nephas and Moonshine rocket engines (additively manufactured and machined respectively), the Colossus static fire test system for engine testing, and vehicle projects including Halya (supersonic sounding rocket), Riptide (self-landing rocket), and Atlas (Mars exploration drones). Their engine family history includes Tri-D, Ignus I, Ignus II, and Callan engines, with Vulcan I being the world's first undergraduate rocket powered by a 3D printed engine. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on advancing collegiate liquid rocketry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nephas A throttling, thrust-vectoring, reusable, restartable, pressure-fed LOX/LNG rocket engine additively manufactured from GrCop-42 and Inconel, designed for 2,000 lbf maximum thrust with a 4:1 throttling capability. Features plasma-assisted torch igniter, regenerative cooling channels, and coaxial swirl injector. Built and tested by the SEDS UCSD Propulsion team.
• Moonshine A LOX/IPA fully machined stainless steel rocket engine featuring a triplet injector and film cooling, designed for an 800 lbf to 300 lbf thrust range. Block 0 has been static fired; intended to power high-altitude rockets and small-scale landers. Built and tested by the SEDS UCSD Propulsion team.
• Ignus I Second 3D-printed rocket engine designed by SEDS UCSD, manufactured in Inconel 718 with LOX-RP1 propellant at 750 lbf (3,336 N) thrust. Its injector plate powered the Vulcan I rocket launched in May 2016, the first 3D-printed engine to fly on an undergraduate rocket.
• Ignus II Second iteration of the Ignus engine, 3D printed in Inconel 718 from LOX-RP1 propellant with 800 lbf thrust, with improvements to optimize efficiency over Ignus I.
• Tri-D The first 3D printed liquid rocket engine designed by SEDS at UCSD, printed in October 2013 in Cobalt Chromium, 3.5 inches in diameter and 7 inches in height, developed with assistance from NASA Marshall Flight Center. The first independent group in the world to hot fire an additively manufactured liquid rocket engine.
• Callan Mono-propellant thruster designed for the Triteia CubeSat. The third 3D-printed engine by SEDS UCSD, using hydrogen peroxide with a nickel-silver catalyst bed, 0.5 inches diameter, 1.6 inches height, 1 lb thrust.
• Colossus Static Fire Test System Trailer-mounted static fire test stand for liquid bi-propellant rocket engines with a maximum tank/line pressure of 1,350 PSI, maximum volumetric flow rate of 4 gal/s, designed for 5,000 lbf thrust. Features comprehensive fire suppression system and edgertronic high-speed camera. Developed with NASA mentorship; used for open test campaigns serving other collegiate rocketry teams.
• Vulcan I The world's first undergraduate rocket powered by a 3D printed engine, launched on May 21, 2016 at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry site in the Mojave Desert. 19 feet in length, 8 inches in diameter, using LOX-RP1 propellant and the Ignus engine with 750 lbf thrust. Reached approximately 4,000 ft altitude.
• Halya Supersonic sounding rocket designed to break collegiate liquid rocketry records in height, speed, and acceleration, competing in the FAR-MARS launch challenge targeting 45,000 ft altitude. 22 ft length, 6.5 in diameter, 120 lb weight, LOX/LNG propellants, Mach 1.2 top speed.
• Riptide Self-landing suborbital rocket technology project. A bi-propellant LOX-LNG sounding vehicle of approximately 17-25 ft length for suborbital flights up to 1,000 ft with powered landings, featuring the Nephas engine with 2,000 lbf max thrust and 15° gimbaling capability.
• Atlas Drone project drawing inspiration from NASA's Ingenuity mission. Aims to deploy drones with advanced imagery analysis and sensor systems for autonomous navigation and resource detection on other planets, particularly for Martian cave exploration.

Quantifiable outcome

• First undergraduate organization in the world to successfully launch a rocket powered by a 3D printed engine (Vulcan I, May 2016)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the FAR-Mars collegiate rocketry competition where Halya will compete. Provides launch site in Mojave Desert.
• Triton Racing (UCSD Formula SAE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UCSD's Formula SAE team for the SEDSxFEMxTR mentorship program supporting women and gender minorities in engineering.
• Various Collegiate Rocketry Teams (ARC, USC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOther rocketry teams have used Colossus for test campaigns (ARC-Nemesis 2018, USC-Balerion 2019).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Purdue University Rocketry: Multi-disciplinary Purdue student team participating in FAR-MARS, NASA USLI, and Spaceport America Cup with high-power amateur rockets; similar collegiate propulsion and recovery system work.
• Cornell Rocketry Team: Cornell University collegiate rocketry team competing in FAR-MARS and NASA USLI; comparable high-power liquid and hybrid rocket student projects with strong industry sponsor backing.
• UC Berkeley STARS (Space Technologies and Rocketry Society): UC Berkeley's student-run aerospace engineering organization focused on rocketry, small satellites, and high-altitude balloon projects; engages in similar collegiate engine and vehicle development competitions.
• Georgia Tech Space Systems Engineering Club: Georgia Tech's student-led space systems organization building high-power rockets, small sats, and space-related projects; competes in the same USLI and Spaceport America Cup ecosystem as SEDS UCSD.
• USC Rocket Propulsion Lab: USC's premier collegiate liquid propulsion group, founded by student researchers, that designs and static-fires student-built engines using additive manufacturing and is a direct activity peer competing in FAR-MARS alongside SEDS UCSD.
• University of Michigan Multidisciplinary Design Program (Aerospace): University of Michigan student-run aerospace design teams (MASA, MRover, rocket teams) undertaking industry-sponsored design-and-build projects analogous to SEDS UCSD's project-team model.

Broad incumbents

• Relativity Space: Commercial launch and propulsion company whose Terran engines were among the first large-scale additively manufactured rocket engines; operates in the same AM-propulsion space as SEDS UCSD's Nephas/Moonshine programs but at industrial scale.

Others

• SEDS-USA (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space): International parent nonprofit and coalition that charters SEDS UCSD and dozens of other university chapters; provides organizational framework, branding, and conference access (SpaceVision) but is not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/SEDS-at-UCSD
• Xx.com/seds_ucsd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SEDS UCSD