Oconee Co team to compete in national rocketry challenge

A team from Oconee County High School in Watkinsville, GA is among 100 national finalists in the American Rocketry Challenge. The students will compete against other teams at the National Finals, taking place on May 18 in The Plains, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC. In addition to competing for the title of national champion and an all-expense paid trip to the International Rocketry Challenge in July at the Farnborough Air Show in England, teams will be competing for $100,000 in prizes. The top 25 teams will automatically receive invitations to NASA’s Student Launch workshop. Though Oconee County High School fielded a team in 2022, this is its first trip to the National Finals. The team is being advised by Bradley Sayers.

This year’s competition featured a record 922 teams and more than 5,000 students from 45 states. For 2024, each team was required to design, build, and launch model rockets that safely carry one large hen egg to an altitude of 820 feet, stay airborne for between 43 and 46 seconds, and return the rocket to the ground safely. The rocket must separate into two parts after apogee—one section of the rocket must contain the egg and altimeter, and the second the rocket motor(s)—and both parts must land with their own parachutes. Sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, the National Association of Rocketry, and more than 20 industry partners, the American Rocketry Challenge is the aerospace and defense industry’s flagship program designed to encourage students to pursue study and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. Now in its 22nd year, the competition has inspired nearly 95,000 middle and high school students to explore education and careers in STEM fields.

From the Aerospace Industries Association…

Today, the Aerospace Industries Association’s American Rocketry Challenge announced the 100 teams that successfully launched model rockets to exacting requirements and earned their ticket to this year’s National Finals. Finalists will compete for $100,000 in prizes and the title of National Champion, which includes an all-expenses-paid trip to London for the International Rocketry Challenge in July. Already the world’s largest student rocketry competition, the 2024 American Rocketry Challenge witnessed a surge in participation, as a record-breaking 922 teams entered the competition in its 22nd year.

“For over two decades, the American Rocketry Challenge has empowered students in STEM, propelling the next generation of engineers, scientists, and visionaries. The challenge has been a true force in driving talent to the aerospace industry,” said Eric Fanning, Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO. “A record number of teams applied to this year’s competition — remarkable students who will one day shape the trajectory of how we move, connect, and explore and take us higher, faster, and farther than ever before. I congratulate our top 100 finalists and look forward to seeing which team’s creativity and resourcefulness will earn them the title of National Champion.”

The American Rocketry Challenge invites middle and high school students to design, build, and launch model rockets while meeting strict criteria. This year’s competition featured more than 5,000 middle and high school students from 922 teams and 45 states. The 100 finalists will compete on May 18 for the title of National Champion at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia, about 45 miles west of Washington, DC. In addition to the $100,000 prize pool, the top 25 teams will automatically earn spots in NASA’s Student Launch Challenge.

To qualify for the National Finals, participating teams designed, built, and launched model rockets that could safely carry a payload of one raw egg with a target flight duration of 43-46 seconds and an altitude of 820 feet. The requirements for the National Finals will be modified to introduce a new challenge to the teams.

Sponsored by AIA, the National Association of Rocketry, and more than 20 industry partners, the American Rocketry Challenge is the world’s largest student rocketry competition and the aerospace and defense industry’s flagship program designed to encourage students to pursue study and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The competition has inspired nearly 95,000 middle and high school students to explore education and careers in STEM fields.

The American Rocketry Challenge fosters friendly competition among teams from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and geographies. Many teams have initiated fundraising campaigns within their communities to enable their participation in the challenge. Additionally, the American Rocketry Challenge provides $2,000 STEM Innovation Grants to eligible Title I schools, empowering them to establish their own rocketry teams.

See the top 100 teams here: https://rocketcontest.org/result/2024-finalists

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