University of Windsor mechanical engineering students pose with the rocket they entered in The Spaceport America Cup. The team placed fifth in the 30,000 commercial off the shelf motor, solid propulsion category.
A team of mechanical engineering students placed fifth in the world's largest intercollegiate rocket engineering competition.
The Spaceport America Cup attracted 121 teams worldwide to compete June 18 to 22, 2019 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
University of Windsor Rocketry Team member Katarina Berg says the competition has multiple categories based on motor type and either a target altitude of 10,000 or 30,000 feet.
The UWindsor team chose to compete in the 30,000 commercial off the shelf motor, solid propulsion category against 19 teams.
“We came in fifth in our category and 31st in the overall competition. Our actual apogee was 26,517 feet,” Berg says. “It was absolutely an amazing experience to be able to connect with and learn from universities all over the world. To see all the different approaches to the same common problem is very intriguing.”
Students were tasked with presenting their research and development to peers and prospective employers in an academic conference before launching at Spaceport America. The competition is hosted by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association.
— Kristie Pearce