Indigenous Ingenuity: MIT's First Nations Launch Team Soars with the Beaver and Father Sky
MIT's First Nations Launch team, consisting of an all-Indigenous group of students, participated in the 2023 First Nations Launch, an international NASA-Artemis Student Challenge focused on Indigenous representation in aerospace engineering. The team designed, built, and launched an 8-foot rocket made from scratch, ultimately receiving second place in the competition. The team's approach incorporates Indigenous values such as efficiency and respectful purpose. They are now preparing for the 2024 challenge and are actively engaged in outreach efforts to inspire Indigenous youth in STEM fields while maintaining their cultural ties.