Overview

Competitions are a fun way to test the prowess of the team against gravity and other teams around the country. Many competitions are offered from year to year, and it is up to team leadership to decide which ones, if any, are suitable for the team.

Spaceport America Cup (Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition)

Hosted by the Experimental Sound Rocket Association, this competition offers several categories, a spectacular launch site, and boast the largest attendance of any competition. The flight line can be a mess. If you go, be prepared to rush the flight line on day one with an integrated rocket. Launch is usually the third week of June at Spaceport America.

University Student Launch Initiative (USLI)

Hosted by NASA this competition tests engineering skills in a flight to 1 mile of altitude. This competition is know for a more rigorous standard of documentation than other competitions. Design reviews also lead to downselects in the competition field, making a launch not guaranteed. This competition is usually well run. Launch happens in April.

Argonia Cup

Hosted by the Tripoli Rocketry Association this small competition takes place at the Rocket Pasture in Argonia, KS. The competition goal is to deliver a payload to a very specific point on the ground very quickly.

FAR-MARS

This competition is to deliver a vehicle to 50,000 ft using a liquid methane, liquid oxygen powered rocket, that remains a Class II vehicle. The launch is May 2018 from the Friends of Amateur Rocketry Site.