Orbital Launch Vehicle Team at Virginia Tech - OLVT

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Blacksburg, VA
Orbital Launch Vehicle Team at Virginia Tech - OLVT

Just a group of nerds from Virginia Tech who want to go to infinity and beyond! We're on a mission to send a rocket into orbit.

05/15/2026

Congrats to our seniors! We’re so proud of you all and we will miss you dearly!

04/19/2026

On April 1st, we had the pleasure of hosting a watch party for the Artemis II launch! We had a surprise guest as WDBJ7 showed up and shared a special moment with us. Thank you to everyone who came out to watch, we truly had a blast! 🚀🌙

04/13/2026

We’re having another fundraiser THIS WEDNESDAY! Bring your friends and grab a good dinner!

03/31/2026

We will be hosting a watch party tomorrow night! Feel free to show up, bring your friends and watch with us! See y’all there! 🚀

03/23/2026

Come out to Crumbl on March 26 from 5–7 PM and support OLVT! Just mention us at checkout and support our team while enjoying some amazing cookies!! 😋😋

03/16/2026

This Thursday from 9am to 2pm, support OLVT while enjoying your favorite drinks and treats at Coffeeholics Cafe & Bakery! Just mention OLVT when ordering, and a percentage of your purchase will go toward supporting our team! 🤗✨

02/19/2026

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting the SpaceX team at the AEDL! We shared our team history, current projects, and had time to connect with the team. Huge appreciation for SpaceX taking time out of their trip to stop by!

12/09/2025

Happy Member Monday🙌 Meet Dominic Di Cocco, a Sophomore and our incredible Recovery Lead here at OLVT!

As Recovery Lead, Dominic spearheads the design, analysis, and testing of our stage separation and recovery deployment systems — ensuring our rockets come down safely and can be reused. From defining parachute requirements to managing ground testing with black powder and CO₂ cartridges, to writing and executing launch-day procedures, Dominic plays a huge role in keeping every mission safe and successful.

Dominic loves working alongside teammates who have become like family, all united by the “lofty goal” of putting a student-built payload into orbit. The pursuit of a successful launch brings everyone closer together both technically and personally. OLVT has taught him what real teamwork looks like and how to iterate effectively on complex systems.

“After graduation, I hope to take a role doing design or test for the aerospace industry or Department of Defense to advance humanity in spaceflight. A totally different, but close 2nd-choice is engineering for the big theme parks and designing roller coasters.” — Dominic

Aside from OLVT, Dominic loves adventuring outdoors, including mountain biking, skiing, hiking, or the occasional 2 a.m. walk. He’s a big theme park fan and even serves as the Rider Restraints Sublead for the Ride Engineering Competition with Theme Park Engineering & Design @ VT!

11/18/2025

Happy Member Monday! ✨

This week, we’re excited to spotlight Yianni Panzarino, a Senior and the Research Development Subteam Lead here at OLVT.

Yianni leads the R&D subteam with a major focus on developing the thermal protection system (TPS) for out space shot rocket. He’s been running simulations and coordinating with the MSE department to get access to labs that have the right equipment to rest and manufacture materials needed to withstand near-hypersonic heating.

His favorite part about OLVT is working toward big goals with his friends. The team’s optimistic attitude keeps the lap fun and exciting. Since joining OLVT, he’s gotten deeply involved in this hobby of rocketry, earning his level 1 and level 2 TRA certifications!

“OLVT has helped me gain skills in several different programs that are used by engineers in the workforce, with the biggest one being Fusion 360. It has also helped me with a lot of soft skills, like being able to communicate and present information professionally.” Yianni says.

When he isn’t in class or lab, you can find him hanging out with friends, working out, or diving into personal rocketry projects.

After graduation, Yianni plans to complete the accelerated Master’s program in Aerospace Engineering with a focus on dynamics and control.

Address

501 Industrial Park Road
Blacksburg, VA
24060

Website

https://olvt.org/

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