MSOE’s Rocketry Club (HPRC) competed in a variety of competitions over the course of the academic year testing their rockets out in various formats.

The team attended the Argonia Cup in Argonia, Kansas and competed against 19 universities. Their task was to create and launch a two-stage rocket—a rocket that boosts up, separates in two and re-launches in the air. The twist was that the team had to add as many golf balls as possible into the rocket and launch it the highest. The team’s rocket was 10 feet tall and they were able to fit 150 golf balls inside. The rocket completed the boost phase but did not re-launch. Although they did not place, they were able to get valuable experience completing the build with the specific constraints.

“The Argonia Cup was definitely the most complex competition the High Power Rocketry Club has attempted to date,” said Patrick Comiskey, mechanical engineering assistant professor and faculty advisor to HPRC. 

HPRC also attended a competition closer to home through the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium designing another rocket for launch with different parameters.

The Collegiate Rocket Launch Design Competition at the Richard Bong State Recreational Area in Kansasville, Wisconsin required the team to design a one-stage rocket that had a camera adhered to it recording down facing video. The video camera recorded the specific ground target that the rocket would land on throughout the entire flight. Also included in their build was an electronically deployed two-stage parachute with backup motor deployment. Teams were required to have the drogue (small parachute) deploy first followed by the main parachute in the second stage. They had a perfect launch but their landing did not go as planned. 

These competitions helped HPRC to gain new insights and skills to improve upon the design and different phases of their rockets. They’ll be able to take this knowledge to new heights next year as they continue their competitions.