VIJAYAWADA: June 23, 2023, will be etched in the memory of Aaditya Edupuganti and his Team Abhyuday as their rocket Chetak-1 soared into the sky, at exactly 1:18 PM, with precision and grace, ascending to its target altitude of 10,000 feet, triggering jubilant celebrations from the team.
The resounding display of excellence and innovation at the Spaceport America Cup in Las Cruces, USA, helped Team Abhyuday secure 16th rank out of 158 in the category of Barrowman Ranking, a measure of how close the team has achieved to the predicted apogee of the rocket.
The journey of Aaditya and 31 other ambitious students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras began in 2020 as they set out to participate in the world’s largest intercollegiate Rocket Engineering conference and competition.
The Spaceport America Cup, organised by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA), attracts over 150 teams from colleges and universities across the globe, each vying to launch solid, liquid, and hybrid rockets to target altitudes of 10,000 and 30,000 feet.
A native of Vijayawada, Aaditya’s father E Phani Purna Chandra Rao is an Indian Air Force veteran, while his mother Anitha is a homemaker. His elder sister Mohitha, an architect, is pursuing a master’s in project management at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in the United States. The 22-year-old completed his schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya in SN Puram and intermediate from Sarada Educational Institutions in Vijayawada.
Aaditya said, “My desire to pursue aerospace engineering was ignited by the legendary Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s persona, and my passion for the field led me to enrol in the prestigious M.Tech dual degree programme at IIT-Madras. As the co-head of Abhyuday, I played my role perfectly in the rocket’s development and preparations for the competition.”
Named Chetak-1, the rocket represented the culmination of extensive research, iterative design, and refinement, utilising advanced software tools like Open Rocket and RocketSim. The rocket underwent more than 20 iterations to optimise dimensions, weight distribution, and fin configuration, ensuring optimal efficiency and stability.
Aaditya’s leadership skills and technical expertise were instrumental in guiding the team through a journey filled with joy, brainstorming, research, fabrication, and occasional frustration. Team Abhyuday’s maiden participation at the prestigious event brought them to the convention centre in Las Cruces on June 19, 2023, where 158 international teams showcased their innovative designs.
With clearance from Dr Pat Artis, a veteran and professor in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, who served as the trusted flier of record, Chetak - 1 was ready for its moment of truth on June 23.
Aaditya expressed his gratitude to people who supported and guided the team throughout their journey, including IIT-M alumni, Sijo Augustine, Prasanna Jayaramu, Adithya Nair, and Hariprashad Ravikumar, along with Kenneth Ruble from Aggies Innovation Lab, NMSU, who played a crucial role in the competition’s final preparations.
A multi-faceted personality, Aaditya also has a passion for art and cricket. He takes inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. He has honed his artistic inclinations through the mastery of Tabla.