2026-2027 Purdue Orbital Leadership
Our Executive TEAM
Dhanush Tipparaju
President
Dhanush is a Senior studying Mechanical Engineering from Barrington, IL. He joined during his freshman year to learn more about aerospace and was excited for the opportunity to work hands-on with high-powered rockets. His goal is to continue Purdue Orbital’s hands-on culture and ensure that every member gets the opportunity to learn the skills that interest them. Outside of Orbital, he likes to play card games, hang out with friends, and cook. (Also pictured: Lance the Cat)
RJ Charles
Vice President
UPDATE RJ is an Integrated Business and Engineering Major from Colorado, and this will be his second year at Purdue and in Orbital. As Treasurer he hopes to grow the finance and outreach teams continuing to enable non design focused members to gain hands-on experience in business roles. Outside of Orbital you can find him enjoying different sporting events at Purdue.
bRAD GRONECK
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Brad is a Junior in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering from Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Brad joined the GNC team his freshman year and is excited to lead operations and outreach at Orbital. As Operations Director, he hopes to bring on new talent to build Orbital’s involvement on campus, online, and with industrial and academic partners. Outside of Purdue Orbital, you’ll find Brad at many of the live music events and coffee shops around campus.
Nayantara nair
Treasurer
Nayantara is a Junior in Mathematics from Salt Lake City, Utah. Nayantara has been part of Orbital’s Enterprise Team since her freshman year. As Treasurer, Nayantara hopes to enable the growth and success of Orbital’s complex missions, while supporting its members as they seek out industry positions. Outside of Orbital, Nayantara enjoys rock climbing and creative hobbies.
Our Program managers
Matt allen
Hapsis PM
Matt is a Senior from Northwest Indiana and studies Mechatronics Engineering Technology. He has been an Orbital member since his freshman year, focusing on developing electronics and software. Matt hopes to push the ballooning program to the next steps, and establish a regular launch cadence for future missions. In his free time, he enjoys playing music and riding his motorcycle.
Nolan Pannier
Payloads pm
Nolan is a Senior from Southern Illinois, majoring in Aero/Astro Engineering. He has been a part of Purdue Orbital since his freshman year, and started on the Rocket Optimization Team. Nolan is also a section leader in the All-American Marching Band where he plays trumpet. As Program Manager, he aims to create a reliable, cost effective launch service to establish Purdue department connections as well as foster growth within his members.
Adityaa Rana
Spaceshot PM
Adityaa is a Junior in Aerospace Engineering from Gurnee, IL. He’s been on Orbital's Propulsion team for 2 years, gaining experience designing, building, and testing rocket engines. His goal for this year is to build the fastest, highest-flying rocket Purdue has ever seen, setting Purdue Orbital on the path to space. Outside of Orbital, he loves to work on weird old cars (pictured is my hyper-miler G1 insight on top of Pikes Peak) and go hiking and fishing!
Our Specialization Coordinators
Coleman Mauch
Airframe sc
Coleman is an Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering major from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and has been on Orbital for the last 2 years. His favorite Orbital memory was launching Stratos II in the Mojave Desert outside of LA. Watching a rocket after months of designing and building successfully launch was an incredible experience. Coleman is also a black belt in Taekwondo.
Marina Xanthopoulos
Flight Operations SC
Marina is a Sophomore in Mechanical Engineering from San Mateo, California. She has been a part of Purdue Orbital since her freshman year, where she began on the Flight Operations team. As Specialization Coordinator for Flight Ops, she is looking forward to expanding the team's reach across the programs and introducing more high-altitude balloon launches! Outside of Orbital, Marina has a passion for filmmaking and hopes to pursue it as a minor.
Mitchell Piriya
Guidance, Navigation, and Control SC
Mitchell Piriya is a Junior in Mechanical Engineering from Summit, NJ. He has been with Orbital on the GNC team since his freshman year, and this year he hopes to successfully deploy the GNC system at high altitude. Outside of Orbital, Mitchell enjoys watching baseball and playing cards.
Ethan Jones
Launch Structures SC
Ethan is a Junior in Mechanical Engineering from Los Gatos, California who has been a part of Orbital since his first semester at Purdue (Fall 2024). His favorite project has been the STAG prototype launch for the Hapsis program - improving manufacturability and reusability while keeping cost and weight low was a fun challenge! He looks forward to working on the next generation of Hapsis prototypes and introducing new Orbital members to Orbital. Outside of Orbital, he enjoys hiking, repairing vintage computers, reading, and watching F1.
Varun Dhond
Propulsion SC
Varun Dhond is a Junior in Nuclear Engineering from Clarksville, Maryland, and has been apart of Orbital for 2 years. His goal for this year is to lead the club to set records through powerful motors to define Purdue as a leader in collegiate rocketry. He enjoy playing sports like boxing and running
Adithya Anand
avionics sc
Adithya Anand is a Sophomore from South Windsor, CT, studying Electrical Engineering, and has been a member of Orbital since Fall 2025. As the Avionics Specialization Coordinator, his primary goal is to design, integrate, and successfully fly a custom high-altitude avionics board. Outside of his work with Orbital, Adithya enjoys playing badminton and the violin.
Trey Taylor
Space Mission Design Team SC
Trey is a graduate student in AAE who has been in Orbital since his freshman year. Trey is excited to continue the unique Mission Design team as part of Orbital, designing space mission trajectories. A fun fact is that Trey was previously president of Orbital for the 2024-2025 school year.