UC Davis AISES Rocketry Wins 1st Place Once Again! At FNL NASA Sponsored Competition
The UC Davis AISES First Nations Launch (FNL) Rocketry Team has once again soared to victory—earning first place in all judged categories of the 2025 First Nations Launch National Competition, including Best Overall Launch, Best Technical Report, and Best Oral Presentation. This marks the third time UC Davis has taken home top honors at the prestigious NASA- and Space Grant-sponsored competition. (Previously winning the competition in 2021, and 2022)
What makes this year’s win especially remarkable is the makeup of the team: composed entirely of first- and second-year undergraduate students, the team competed against senior-level engineering students from institutions across the country. With limited access to fabrication resources and no formal engineering department backing, the team was 100% student-led—driven by dedication, creativity, and community support. This year's team included: Atreyganson Lowery, Zain Mustafa, Aneel Sethi, Ege Erdogan Kailey Gotfried, and Grace Barcelo.
The team was led by UC Davis graduate student & mentor Andrea Lopez Arguello, who provided guidance and instruction, while empowering undergraduate members to design, implement simulation, payload development, and launch preparations. The success reflects not just technical excellence, but also the strength of the interdisciplinary, student-centered, and equity-focused model that UC Davis AISES continues to foster. More than 195 students participated in the program, representing 21 colleges and universities from twelve states and Canada.
Final scores & top 3 teams from the 2024-2025 competition term:
AISES Rocketry & First Nations Launch Competition
Since 2021, the UC Davis AISES First Nations Launch (FNL) team has provided students with the opportunity to engage in high-powered rocketry through the lens of Indigenous innovation, teamwork, and mentorship. Our team proudly competes in NASA’s First Nations Launch Competition, a national rocketry challenge designed to elevate Indigenous voices in aerospace and STEM.
The team welcomes students of all backgrounds and majors, making it a diverse, interdisciplinary community of engineers, scientists, coders, artists, and future aerospace leaders.
We integrate cultural knowledge into our technical designs, whether through tribal symbolism, traditional naming of rockets, or the use of regalia during competition events. As an AISES chapter-led effort, our rocketry team is not only about flight—it’s about identity, education, and visibility. Through mentorship and hands-on experience, we aim to uplift Indigenous perspectives in aerospace, while providing all members with the skills and confidence to pursue futures in STEM and beyond.
Through the First Nations Launch competition, the UC Davis team applied and strengthened a wide range of interdisciplinary skills including CAD design, flight simulation, structural analysis, payload integration, electronics and avionics setup, technical writing, and public speaking. Students also developed essential soft skills such as teamwork, project management, leadership, and cross-cultural collaboration. Competing in a real-world, high-stakes engineering environment challenged students to think critically, troubleshoot under pressure, and communicate their ideas effectively—preparing them not only for future STEM careers, but also for continued academic success and community leadership.
AISES Rocketry Team Captain & Chapter Undergraduate Chair: Atreganson Lowry
Atreganson Lowry, a rising junior Mechanical Engineering student at UC Davis, led this year’s First Nations Launch (FNL) team as team captain while also serving as the AISES chapter chair. A Gates Scholar and member of the Maidu Tribe of the Susanville Indian Rancheria, Atreganson is passionate about team-based engineering projects with technical applications.
Under his guidance, the team designed and constructed a Level 2 high powered rocket to fulfill flight challenge parameters and carry a telemetry payload. The launch vehicle was painted with designs from team member's tribes, incorporating cultural artwork into an engineering design.
Despite strong national competition, Atreganson's leadership helped propel the UC Davis team to first place in competition project categories. During this time he also became Level 1 high-power rocketry certified, and has collaborated with the Native American Student Union (NASU) for community events.
He is now actively working to expand the team’s ambitions, leading efforts to prepare for advanced high-power competitions such as the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) events held in Mojave, California. His vision is to elevate the team to national prominence while continuing to represent AISES.
Join the team!
Email: aises@ucdavis.edu