The Illinois Space Society

What The Illinois Space Society does

The Illinois Space Society is a student-run aerospace and space-systems organization at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Its functional scope spans competitive high-powered rocketry (Spaceshot), NASA Micro-G NExT neutral-buoyancy experimentation, the Human Lander Challenge (HuLC), the RASC-AL (Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage) competition — in which it has been a finalist for 12 consecutive years — and in-house solid and hybrid propulsion research. The organization serves three constituencies: undergraduate and graduate students who build technical projects and compete in national challenges; corporate sponsors (Blue Origin, Collins Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, among others) who fund project activity in exchange for recruiting access and brand visibility; and regional K-12 audiences reached through an annual STEM outreach program touching 1,000+ students.

The Society operates as a registered student organization rather than a venture-backed entity. Its revenue model combines low-friction individual membership dues — $12 per semester or $20 per year — with corporate sponsorship contributions from aerospace and defense primes. The technology stack is hardware-led: physical rocket airframes and propulsion systems for Spaceshot, neutral-buoyancy mockup testing for Micro-G NExT, and conceptual lander design for HuLC. No software-as-a-service, recurring digital revenue, or external commercial customers are part of the model. Distribution and go-to-market are effectively internal — recruiting within UIUC engineering programs, competing in national NASA-affiliated challenges, and engaging local schools through outreach events.

Name

The Illinois Space Society

Legal name

The Illinois Space Society

Website

https://illinoisspacesociety.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Illinois Space Society is a UIUC student-run aerospace organization that builds high-powered rockets, competes in NASA challenges (12 consecutive RASC-AL finalist years), and conducts solid/hybrid propulsion research, funded by individual dues and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Aerospace Engineering Organization

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMABAE

Space & Astronomy Programs

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/STEM Enrichment & Science Programs

SECONDARYIMABACAE

Spacecraft Propulsion (In-Space) & Thrusters

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing/Spacecraft & Launch Vehicle Manufacturing

SECONDARYEDAMABAB

Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/STEM Enrichment & Science Programs

SECONDARYEDANAKAF

Advanced STEM & Competition Coaching (MathCounts/AMC/AIME/USAMO, Science Olympiad, Physics/Chem Olympiads)

Education/Tutoring & Test Preparation/Enrichment & Advanced/Accelerated Tutoring (Gifted/AP/IB)

Keywords

• Student aerospace engineering
• High-powered rocketry
• K-12 STEM outreach
• Space mission design
• Rocket propulsion research

Headquarters

HQ city

Urbana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Student members pay dues of $12 per semester or $20 per academic year in exchange for Slack communication platform access and membership benefits.
2. Sponsorships and Donations: The organization receives financial support from corporate sponsors at Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers, as well as individual donations through platforms like Zeffy. Sponsorships fund technical projects, competition travel, and member development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Illinois Space Society is a student organization at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that provides members with hands-on aerospace engineering experience across six technical project teams—high-powered rocketry (Spaceshot), NASA astronaut tool design (Micro-G NExT), NASA mission architecture (RASC-AL), lunar lander design (HuLC), solid rocket motors (Solid Propulsion), and hybrid rocket engines (Hybrid Propulsion). It also delivers K-12 STEM outreach through Illinois Space Day, classroom/library visits, and free educator resources, and offers the AE-199 Introduction to Rocketry academic course. The organization is funded through membership dues and multi-tiered corporate sponsorships from aerospace companies.

Product overview

The Illinois Space Society is a student organization at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offering a portfolio of technical projects and educational outreach programs. The technical portfolio includes Spaceshot (high-powered multi-stage rockets), Micro-G NExT (NASA astronaut tool design), RASC-AL (NASA mission design competition), HuLC (Human Lander Challenge), Solid Propulsion (SRAD solid rocket motors), and Hybrid Propulsion (hybrid rocket engines). Educational outreach includes Illinois Space Day (flagship annual event), Classroom & Library Visits, Engineering Open House participation, Science Communication competitions, and free educator resources. The society also offers AE-199 Introduction to Rocketry as a student-led academic course.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISS Membership Program Subscription membership for UIUC students providing access to the society's Slack communication platform, team participation, and member benefits. Available at $12 per semester or $20 per academic year.
• AE-199 Introduction to Rocketry Student-led for-credit course worth 2 credit hours providing introduction to building F-class motor rockets with electronics systems. Open to any major or year, with design and research components culminating in a semester-end launch.
• Corporate Sponsorship Packages Multi-tiered sponsorship program offering Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze level packages for aerospace industry partners providing brand visibility, talent pipeline access, and CSR visibility.
• Spaceshot High-powered rocket design and launch team developing multi-stage rockets for competition and testing, including subscale proof-of-concept vehicles and full-scale launches targeting high altitudes. Team lead: Aakash Shah (Hybrid Propulsion). Recent flights include Stargazer 1.2 (6,982 ft) and Endurance (9,327 ft).
• Micro-G NExT NASA challenge team designing astronaut tools for testing in simulated low-gravity environments at the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Lab. Projects include COMET (Carrier Of Mission EVA Tools) and ELSA (Emergency Lunar Sample Assistant). Team lead: Emma Held.
• RASC-AL NASA Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage competition team. Designs lunar and Mars mission architectures for presentation to NASA judges. Projects include THEIA (Trans lunar Hub) and MITHRIL (Mars Ice Thermal Harvesting Rig). 12 consecutive years as finalists.
• HuLC (Human Lander Challenge) Competition team participating in NASA's Human Lander Challenge, focused on lunar lander design and development.
• Solid Propulsion Team developing solid rocket motors from scratch using SRAD (Student Researched and Designed) methodology. Produces custom propellant grains, casings, nozzles, and test stands. First fully SRAD solid rocket motor hot-fire achieved 203.4145 N-s impulse in November 2023.
• Hybrid Propulsion Team developing hybrid rocket engines combining liquid oxidizer with solid fuel. Uses Nytrox oxidizer (Nitrous Oxide and Oxygen combination) and Paraffin fuel. Developed 4 Kilonewton Hybrid Engine with custom-designed components; cold flow test completed October 2023. Project lead: Aakash Shah.
• Illinois Space Day (ISD) Annual flagship educational outreach event promoting space and STEM education for elementary and middle school students. Features engineering demonstrations, hands-on activities, and guest speakers. 12th annual event scheduled for September 2025.
• Classroom & Library Visits In-person presentations delivered to K-12 classrooms and public libraries in the Champaign-Urbana area on space topics including rockets, space environment, telescopes, and related subjects, with virtual Zoom lessons available for remote communities.
• Science Communication (SciComm) Competition STEM/space children's writing and drawing competition run through the school year. Creates content like books, visuals, or games to maintain engagement beyond classroom environments. Co-led by Vidhi Patel and Eisha Peyyeti.
• Educator Resources Free presentation materials and activity guides for K-12 educators covering topics including rovers, telescopes, space environment, space painting, moon crater creation, and rocket surgery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached over 1,000 K-12 students annually with educational outreach activities
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Honeybee RoboticsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Honeybee Robotics provided official partnership assistance to the 2022 RASC-AL team, helping the team overcome design challenges and develop the MITHRIL Mars ISRU architecture.
• SEDS-USAminorOthersSEDS-USA (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space) is listed as a Silver Level sponsor. SEDS is a national student space organization with shared mission to promote space exploration and development.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MIT Rocket Team: Student-led high-powered rocketry and propulsion organization at MIT, competing in the same NASA RASC-AL and collegiate rocketry competitions as ISS, with overlapping technical portfolios including liquid/solid propulsion and high-altitude rockets.
• Stanford Space Initiative: Stanford's multidisciplinary student space organization running propulsion, rocketry, and mission design projects alongside K-12 outreach, directly comparable in structure, mission, and competition focus to ISS.
• SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space): National student-run space advocacy and project network of which ISS is an affiliated chapter; comparable mission around student-led space engineering projects, K-12 outreach, and industry networking.
• Purdue Space Systems (PSSL): Purdue's student rocketry and space systems organization competing in NASA challenges, building high-powered rockets and propulsion systems with comparable technical and outreach activities to ISS.
• Georgia Tech Space Systems Design Group: Georgia Tech's student-run space systems and propulsion organization building hybrid engines, rockets, and mission designs; direct competitor in collegiate rocketry and NASA challenge circuits.
• University of Michigan MASA (Michigan Aeronautical Science Association): University of Michigan's student aerospace design and rocketry organization working on propulsion and high-powered rockets, directly comparable peer in the Big Ten collegiate aerospace ecosystem.

Others

• Honeybee Robotics: Aerospace robotics company that partnered with ISS's 2022 RASC-AL team on the MITHRIL Mars ISRU architecture; an industry partner and design mentor representative of the type of aerospace firm that engages ISS as a student talent and ideation pipeline.
• NASA Micro-G NExT Program: NASA challenge program in which ISS has participated for multiple years (ELSA in 2022, COMET in 2024); defines the competition format and validation pathway that drives ISS's astronaut tool projects.

Broad incumbents

• AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics): Largest professional society for aerospace engineering, hosting student conferences and competitions that ISS participates in; broader umbrella organization whose student branches and conference circuits are the wider ecosystem in which ISS operates.

Regional players

• CU Aerospace: Champaign-Urbana-based aerospace company and active Silver-level ISS sponsor that develops small satellite and propulsion technologies; operates in the same geographic ecosystem and adjacent technical space as ISS projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_your_channel_id
• Instagraminstagram.com/illinoisspacesociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/ILSpaceSociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-illinois-space-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Illinois Space Society