Team Hydra
We are Team Hydra and we compete in the NASA Student Launch Intiative Rocketry Challenge (NASA SLI). Our team is comprised of 15 members, split up into 4 sections: Avionics, Payload, Safety, and Outreach. Every Tuesday night, we meet virtually to discuss rocket progress and create actionable plans for the next steps in the process. Additionally, we have workshops at various areas between San Diego and Orange County (because our team is split between San Diego and Orange County). This year, our team has chosen to take on the high school division rocket challenge, but the university division payload challenge. The avionics team handles the electronic aspects of the rocket, such as the altimeter and the flight computer, among others. Payload handles the rocket payload, which this year has to successfully collect and test a soil sample upon rocket landing. Safety is in charge of launch operations and making sure that the rocket is handled properly, ensuring all members of the team are safe. Last but not least, Outreach handles the fundraising and marketing of the team, constituting the team website, social media, sponshorship, STEM community events/workshops, and many more initiatives. Team Hydra is optimistic for an amazing year of launching rockets!
Trevor Glasgow
Team Lead
Trevor Glasgow is a senior at Del Norte High School, he will be the Lead of this SLI team. He has a history of aerospace and competition rocketry, however this is his first year in NASA SLI. Last year, he led Vocational STEAM Works to 8th place in the American Rocketry Challenge, so he has plenty of experience in leadership roles. In addition to competition rocketry, Trevor displays interest and expertise in aerospace through his projects and accomplishments; not only does he have a Junior High-Power Level 1 Certification with the NAR, but he has developed a dual-deployment system for his rockets. Furthermore, Trevor has transformed his interest in aerospace to a possible career by working as an intern at Northrop Grumman. The past year he has learned about the company and culture, and this year he will work in a small group to overcome an engineering challenge. Finally, Trevor displays his commitment to academic achievement through his rigorous coursework; as a junior he took Honors Principles of Engineering and AP Calculus AB, and as a senior he will take AP Physics to further develop his understanding of the world.
Aneri Patel
Avionics Lead
Aneri Patel is a Junior attending Trabuco Hills High School, and she will be leading the avionics section of this SLI team. This will be her second year taking part in SLI, having formerly participated as Safety Officer on the 2022-2023 Hydra Team. She has also participated in the American Rocketry Competition throughout both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons, and will continue to do so in the 2025-2026 season. Her passion for aerospace and engineering shows both in her dedication to her advanced math and STEM classes as well as her application in many of her school clubs, including both Science Olympiad and Trabuco Rocketry. Within the rocketry club at Trabuco, she expanded its numbers from ten to nearly forty within the first few meetings. Aneri hopes to gain more experience and knowledge within the realm of rocketry and is excited to compete.
Shantal Kho
Avionics Co-Lead
Shantal Kho is a junior at Trabuco Hills High School and will be part of Avionics in this SLI team. This is her first year in NASA’s Student Launch Initiative. She participated in the American Rocketry Challenge (ARC) during the 2024-2025 season and will be continuing this 2025-2026 season. She has extensive experience coding in Python and Java, as well as C# on the Unity game engine. Additionally she has created numerous projects using raspberry pi and arduino. Shantal has fostered a love for math, computer science, and engineering, as reflected in her coursework with advanced math and physics. She is excited to compete and learn more about rocketry.
Samuel Augsburger
Payload Lead
Samuel Augsburger is a junior at San Diego High School, and will serve as the Payload Section Lead for this SLI team. He has a strong history with rocketry, having been a member of last year’s Vocational STEAM Works team that placed 8th in the American Rocketry Challenge, an experience that gave him valuable insight into teamwork, technical problem-solving, and meeting competition deadlines. Samuel has built his Junior Level 1 Certification rocket, and will fly it as a junior member of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). In addition to his competition experience, Samuel has developed a growing interest in integrating computer control systems into model rockets, combining his interest in programming with aerospace engineering. His technical curiosity extends to academia, as Samuel is enrolled in the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, which challenges him to excel across a broad range of disciplines while honing his analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Karl Chen
Payload Co- Lead
Karl Chen is a senior at Portola High School, and he is the Payload co-lead for this year’s SLI team. Although this is his first year in SLI, he has a history with aerospace. Karl is a student pilot at the John Wayne International Airport, and he is very close to obtaining his Private Pilots License (PPL). At school, he founded the aviation and aerospace club, which impacted over 100 students through field trips and hands-on projects. He was recently appointed by the district to represent it at the county and national levels for aerospace engineering. Karl participated in the 2024-2025 TARC season with a focus on fully 3D printed rockets, allowing him to reinforce his CAD (Fusion 360) skills. Recently, he has been working on a 3D printed L1 HPR certification rocket. Karl’s coursework last school year is a reflection of his dedication to STEM—multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and AP Physics 1. He plans to continue this level of rigor in his last year of high school with differential equations and AP Physics C.
Raghav Vaidyanathan
Payload Co- Lead
Raghav Vaidyanathan is a co-lead of the payload department. A junior at Scripps Ranch High School, he’s deeply passionate about aerospace engineering as co-president of the TWS Horizons ARC team. Aside from his interests in rockets, Raghav is also involved in biomechanical research, developing ways to prevent injury in sport. He looks forward to a successful year with team Hydra.
Nidhi Mehta
Payload
Nidhi Mehta is a senior at Scripps Ranch High School and a member of the payload department. Having done 8 years of robotics through FIRST, she has developed a variety of technical skills. She specializes in various coding languages, such as Python, Java, C, C++, and HTML. Nidhi also competed in the 2024-25 TARC season, learning the hardware skills of building a rocket.
Nandhana Sunil
Safety Lead
Nandhana Sunil is a junior at Trabuco Hills High School, she will be the lead of the safety section of this SLI team. This is her first time participating in NASA SLI, and she is very enthusiastic to be a part of the competition. She has participated in the American Rocketry Challenge (ARC) during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons, serving as vice captain in the latter year, and she will be continuing this 2025-2026 season. Her favorite subjects are chemistry, mathematics, and biology. She is interested in pursuing biotechnology or biological sciences in the future, and has recently started working towards a Biotechnology Lab Assistant certification. At school, her passion for STEM is reflected in her active participation on the Science Olympiad team, where she has competed for the past two years in a variety of challenging events.
Marco Klap
Safety
Marco Klap is a student in the 8th grade attending Mt. Everest Academy. This is his first year in the SLI competition. He has participated in the American Rocketry Challenge as part of team Hypersonic, which placed 8th at national finals. He loves STEM related subjects, and he has taken advanced classes in these areas including Chemistry and Integrated Math II. This year, he is expanding his knowledge of different fields by taking Computer Science and Principles of Engineering classes.
Natalie Reginato
Safety
Natalie Reginato is a junior attending Santa Margarita Catholic High School and is excited for her first year of NASA SLI. She previously gained experience in rocketry as a member of Team Nova for the 2024-2025 ARC season, and plans to continue into the 2025-2026 season. She looks forward to being part of this year’s safety team and expanding her skills in STEM.
Jack Pacente
Outreach Lead
Jack Pacente is a Sophomore at West Hills High School. This is his first time competing in the NASA SLI. He has competed in the past 6 years with the American Rocketry Challenge, and was an intern for one year before he could officially join the ARC team. He is the weekly guest for the past two years at Mt Helix Toastmasters. He has launched over 20 high-powered rockets with his M1 Cert Level from Tripoli #22453. He did the San Diego Greater Science and Engineering Fair for 2 years, and received a scholarship from the Society of American Military Engineers. He has been using Fusion 360 since he was in 4th grade. He has the ability to do Title Block Drawings, and he is proficient in the use of Simplify 3D. He is taking an engineering CTE course at his high school, run by Project Lead The Way.
Abheek Somchaudhuri
Outreach Co-Lead
Abheek Somchaudhuri is a Senior currently attending Scripps Ranch High School and will serve as the co-lead of Outreach. This is his first year participating in NASA SLI, however, he has participated in the American Rocketry Challenge for the 22-23, 23-24, and 24-25, and currently 25-26 seasons, co-captaining the team for the last two seasons. Abheek has also participated and co-led the StellarXplorers academic team for the 22-23 and 23-24 seasons, respectively. Teaching others has always been Abheek’s strong suit, with him teaching rocketry to young students at the community library and at the Gateways Summer Program, as well as teaching chemistry to middle school students in Science Olympiad. He also has experience in both CAD and preliminary CAD design software (OnShape, Fusion360, and OpenRocket) as well as 3D printing components for his rocketry team. He also aids in PR/Fundraising operations in his team, creating a website with team updates as well as a sponsorship packet. Academically, Abheek has expanded his passion for STEM by completing AP Calculus I and II, Principles of Engineering, and is currently enrolled in Multivariable Calculus (Calculus III) as well as AP Physics C.
Aditya Phadke
Outreach
Aditya Phadke is a member of the outreach
department. He is a senior at Scripps Ranch High School. This is his first year participating in NASA SLI but he has three years of experience in the American Rocketry Challenge. Aditya is the president of his school’s rocketry club and has done many aerospace projects himself. He has worked with two local libraries and has taught over 100 kids model rocketry basics totaling over 80 hours of community service. He is fluent at Computer Aided Design using softwares such as Onshape and Fusion 360. He has worked on remote controlled aircraft, and is experienced with the electronics needed. He has taken Calculus I and is taking AP Physics C Mechanics at school.