 Fond du Lac rocket launch at a past competition |
 UW Madison "Cow" rocket lifting off |
2024-2025 Space Grant (in-the-)Midwest High-Power Rocketry Competition - the "High-Thrust Challenge"
IMPORTANT: A Notice
of Intent to Compete form (non-binding) must
be filed by 9/15/2024. No late entries.
A general announcement is posted below. A competition handbook will be posted by 9/9/2024. More details provided at informational videocon held at 7 p.m. Central Time on 9/9/24 (and repeated at 7 p.m. Central Time on 1/9/2025).
The Minnesota Space Grant Consortium (MnSGC) announces its intention to run the Space Grant (in-the-)Midwest High-Power Rocketry Competition. The fly-off will be held in Minnesota, but this competition is open to college/university student teams from across the nation during the 2024-2025 academic year. This competition is an opportunity for students to design and construct high-power rockets to be launched in May 2025 from a Tripoli high-power rocket club launch site just north of Minneapolis.
2024-2025 “High-Thrust Challenge”
(summary description)
Student teams will design and construct
single-motor, single-stage, high-power rocket(s) and
fly twice during the competition. This year the
challenges are:
(A) have the first flight (may be single-deploy or
dual-deploy) go to exactly 1000 feet above ground
level on an H550 motor and
(B) have the second flight (must be dual-deploy) go
as high as possible on an H550 motor and
(C) have both flights carry a “non-commercial” (i.e.
not sold for rocketry) data-logging sensor suite and
use it to deduce altitude, speed, and acceleration
during ascent, all as a function of time (not just
maximum values), in at least three independent ways
(barometric pressure, acceleration, gps) at as high
a sampling frequency as possible, then analyze the
pros and cons of the different approaches (see more
details in handbook).
All competition flights will use an AeroTech
H550ST-14A (high-thrust) DMS motor. Bonus points
will be given to (1) teams whose member(s) increase
their certification level(s) using
individually-built rockets (in parallel with the
(team-built) competition rocket(s)), (2) teams that
also implement a 2-pressure-sensor pitot tube system
as a fourth performance characterization approach,
and (3) teams that do both flights using a single
rocket – internal modifications (parachute, ballast,
etc.) are allowed between flights, but not external
modifications (to merit bonus points in this
category). Additional details about the competition
are included in a handbook, including due dates and
report content/page limits. Note: All fabrication
work on the rocket(s), except for possibly machining
of plastic and/or metal parts, must be performed by
students.
Logistical questions may be directed
to James Flaten, MN Space Grant, U of MN, flate001@umn.edu.
Technical questions may be directed to Gary
Stroick, Tripoli MN, president@offwegorocketry.com.
INDUSTRY SPONSORS:
- TBA
IMPORTANT DATES:
• Kick-off/informational videocon: Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 (repeated Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025) from 7 to 8 p.m. CST (contact James Flaten, flate001@umn.edu, for call-in information)
• Submit a (Non-binding) “Notice of Intent to Compete” and test-flight motor order (probably one or more H550 motors) by Sept. 15, 2024 (this deadline applies even to schools that plan to form their team later than Sept. 15, 2024)
• A non-refundable $400 Team Registration Fee is due by Jan. 31, 2025, just over $100 of which will be applied toward the purchase of two AeroTech H550 DMS competition motors
• In-person Competition Dates: Presentations & Safety Checks on Saturday, 5/17/25* (mid-afternoon & evening); flights on Sunday, 5/18/25* (all day, plus an evening banquet (even if we have not flown))
•
Alternate (weather-delay) Flight Date: Monday,
5/19/25* (as long as needed)
DOCUMENT ARCHIVE FOR THE 2024-2025 "HIGH-THRUST CHALLENGE"
- Announcement of Competition (circulated August 31, 2023):
- Handbook for Competition (v2 posted 10/27/2024):
- Slides and link to recording from Informational Videocon
- "Notice of Intent to Compete" Form (including motor order) (due Sept. 15, 2024 - send form by e-mail to James Flaten, MN Space Grant, flate001@umn.edu)
- Reports by a past year's winning team (UMD) - optional reading
- Instructions for paying the $400 registration fee (and, separately, for other motors) - due Jan. 31, 2025 (coming soon)
- "Declaration of Competition Attendance" Template (due early Feb. 2025) - submit by e-mail to James Flaten flate001@umn.edu (coming soon)
- Information about hotels and camping options, plus stores (like hardware stores) and other "local attractions" (coming early in 2025)
Last Modified: 2024-10-27 at 21:36:52 -- this is in International Standard Date and Time Notation