Rocket Team

This rocketry program is an amazing opportunity for 8th-12th graders to learn or showcase their model rocketry skills. They will be able to join a team with people of different experience levels and work with other rocketry enthusiasts to compete against almost a thousand teams across the nation in the American Rocketry Challenge. Rocketry is a relatively low-commitment extracurricular that can still yield great results and look great on college applications. Being successful in this challenge at the national level can open new opportunities of up to thousands of dollars of awards and recognition from the industry's leading companies like Raytheon and Northup Grumman.

 

The challenge is to design, build, and fly a rocket that weighs below 650 grams and carries one large hen egg to an altitude of 750 feet, stays airborne for between 36 and 39 seconds, and returns the rocket to the ground safely with the egg unbroken. Being off the target adds points to the teams total score, and the combined score of both flights must be below a threshold that is decided by the Aerospace Industry Association after all scores have been submitted. For more information on the challenge, please visit: American Rocketry Challenge - World's Largest Student Rocket Competition

 

Design refinement will be happening from now until the date of qualification. Qualifying flights are due March 30, 2026. After the qualifying flights have been completed, we will be working on reaching the altitudes that are required at nationals, with a possible foray into electronic rocket systems.

 

Prior experience with model rocketry is not required. Previous national finalists on the team will guide you through the process of designing rockets. The students need to be familiar with CAD software, as the rockets used are 3D printed.

 

To be admitted, each team member must contribute to a portion of the overall team budget. Registering for the challenge costs the team $175. Costs of motors and materials add up, so the expected individual contribution from each team member will be approximately $200 to $300. This number will vary based on the number of flights necessary to meet requirements.