Philanthropy Propels Next-Generation Space Leaders
Recent graduate Olivia Wood (pictured above) is now an operations engineer for SpaceX’s Starship launch program. Before she was helping send the world’s most advanced rockets to orbit, she was learning how to build her own. As a senior in Embry-Riddle’s Rocket Development Lab (RDL) at the Prescott Campus, Wood led a student team attempting something bold: launching the liquid bi-propellant rocket Deneb-2 to the edge of space.
“The feeling just before button push is the scariest thing in the world,” Wood says. Yet she knows that every successful mission is powered not only by engineering and grit, but by donors who believe in students’ capacity to change the aerospace landscape.
That belief is exactly what the Margaret T. Morris Foundation has invested in. With more than $400,000 in support of high-impact engineering projects, the Foundation has become a crucial catalyst for real-world student achievement. Their funding ensured that teams like Wood’s didn’t just design rockets—they launched them.
When a Setback Sparks a Breakthrough
Just months before Deneb-2 was scheduled for takeoff, a routine test fire ended in a catastrophic engine failure. The explosion destroyed the rocket’s pressure system and damaged its engine beyond repair. The team faced a crushing reality: rebuild from scratch or walk away.
“That detonation would’ve killed multiple teams,” Wood says. “But we picked ourselves up the next day.”
Students tore the vehicle down to its fundamentals, re-engineered major systems, and rebuilt confidence—piece by piece. They did not slow down, because they didn’t have to. Philanthropic support helped them respond quickly, acquire new components and remain safely within their testing protocols.
The result was a successful launch in the Mojave Desert. Deneb-2 climbed to 21,000 feet at Mach 1.3. It didn’t shatter the altitude record set by its predecessor, Deneb-1, but it delivered a far more valuable lesson: resilience is rocket fuel.
“There was never any thought given to quitting,” says faculty mentor Dr. Neil Sullivan. “These students were bound to the project by more than curiosity. They felt responsibility for leaving the program stronger than they found it.”
Wood’s journey didn’t end in the desert. This spring she graduated and immediately launched her career at SpaceX. She carries with her not only technical expertise, but proof that teamwork, persistence and donor belief can turn failure into flight.
Missions That Go Beyond the Atmosphere
The Morris Foundation’s impact extends well beyond a single launchpad.
In 2025, Prescott RDL students competed for the second year at the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC), the world’s largest collegiate rocketry challenge. Their rocket reached 9,756 feet—just 44 feet shy of their prediction—earning fourth place for accuracy in a field of more than 150 teams. The team also introduced a sophisticated air-braking system and completed 300+ simulated test flights, progress sparked by philanthropic support for tools and training.
“The competitive atmosphere and challenge are baked into the process,” says Aerospace Engineering senior Shea Schmidt. “It’s absolutely worth participating.”
Meanwhile, another student milestone supported by the Foundation launched even farther: into orbit.
This fall, EagleSat-2—a student-built CubeSat designed to study memory degradation caused by solar radiation—was deployed from the International Space Station. The satellite’s journey required years of diagnostics, redesigns, vibration tests and one dramatic teardown to fix a critical short circuit. Through every hurdle, donors ensured forward momentum.
“There were moments when it looked like the project was doomed to fail,” recalls faculty mentor Dr. Ahmed Iyanda Sulyman. “The team managed to turn things around for the success story we have today.”
Students will now track the spacecraft from campus, gathering data that can shape future deep-space system design.
A Foundation for What Comes Next
With each new milestone, Morris Foundation support ensures that Embry-Riddle students are not just learning aerospace engineering. They are practicing it, under real pressure, with real stakes and real launches.
“I believe we are looking at a new era of CubeSat development at Embry-Riddle,” says EagleSat-2 project manager Bruce Noble. “Collaboration is key in systems engineering. Each subsystem must work together.”
That vision aligns perfectly with the Foundation’s commitment: empowering capable young leaders to pioneer new frontiers of flight.
Wood sees that impact every day at SpaceX.
“If we hadn’t done it—or if we had given up—we wouldn’t be here,” she says. “One of the most rewarding things is the knowledge we’ve gotten from this experience.”
Knowledge that travels farther because philanthropy cleared the way.