We're recruiting
BUILD THE ENGINE.
JOIN THE TEAM.
Vulcan Kinetics is a student-led team designing and building a liquid rocket engine from scratch. We're looking for students ready to trade lecture halls for test stands.
WHY NOW
We just kicked off the preliminary design of Prometheus-I. This includes sizing the thrust chamber, test stand and determining the overall architecture ahead of a first hot-fire test targeted for March 2027. Join now and you enter our mission: the decisions the team makes over the next few months shape the entire engine.
See the full roadmap →OPEN POSITIONS
PROPULSION
Design and analyze the engine itself. Components you could work on include the injector, thrust chamber, and nozzle. Model the heat transfer, flame stability and more to ensure a smooth first hot fire.
STRUCTURES
Engineer the test-stand to handle the intense vibrations and thermal load. Accounting for safety features like an automatic fire suppression system in case of the occasional rapid unscheduled disassembly.
FLUID SYSTEMS
Build the plumbing that gets propellants from the tank to the injector: valves, regulators, feed lines and more should be tested long before they see the first propellants on the day of the hot fire.
DATA & CONTROL
Instrument our tests, build the sensors and DAQ that tell us what actually happened, and write the software that sequences a hot-fire safely.
BUSINESS & OUTREACH
Keep the team funded, organized, and visible: setting up contracts, budgeting, event planning and telling our story to sponsors.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Shape how the world sees us. Run our marketing and keep our socials up to date, represent the team when we talk to the public at events and film a documentary following our first build from design to hot fire.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
- Curiosity and a drive to understand how complex things work.
- We're here to push technological boundaries while making friends in the process. Being a team player is a must.
- No prior rocketry experience required, just passion. We'll teach you everything you need to know.
Time commitment
We're a serious, in-person team working toward a real hot-fire test. Expect regular work sessions alongside your studies. Exact scheduling depends on the subteam you join. We'll walk through it with you before you commit to anything.
LIFE AT VULCAN KINETICS
We're doing more than just building rocket engines. Inspiring the next generation and making new friends are equally as important. Take a look at the future rocketeers from our previous event.