51福利社

51福利社鈥檚 Aerospace Club will take their rocket to new heights鈥攗p to 10,000 feet鈥攁t this year鈥檚 International Rocket Engineering Competition in Midland, Texas.聽

The annual IREC competition, held June 9 -14, will host more than a thousand students from the U.S. and beyond to compete for the title of the best rocket. To qualify, 51福利社鈥檚 Aerospace Club sent in a 30-page application detailing the mechanics and makeup of their propulsive projectile. Along with 175 other teams, they were notified of their acceptance in November of 2024. Since then, they have built, modified and extensively tested their 10-foot-tall payload bearing rocket.

鈥淥ur goal, and the goal of the competition, is to make a rocket that can deliver a two kilogram payload 10,000 feet into the air,鈥� says Keegan Phillips, a mechanical engineering student and the Aerospace Club president.聽

A 鈥減ayload鈥� is anything a rocket carries into space, or in this case, the air. For 51福利社鈥檚 rocket, its payload will be a modified, plush-toy version of Swoop.聽

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to put a GPS tracking system and camera inside him,鈥� says club member, Jayden Moreland. 鈥淪woop will be ejected at 10,000 feet of elevation, and the GPS tracking system inside of him will allow him to fly back to us autonomously.鈥�

Since Eastern鈥檚 beloved mascot doesn鈥檛 actually have wings, Moreland says the rocketeers will stitch up Swoop to fit him with a hand-made parachute. He will also be equipped with a 360-degree-view selfie stick that, if all goes according to plan, will obtain video footage of Swoop鈥檚 flight.聽

鈥淭he payload is experimental,鈥� says Phillips. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 done anything like it before. We want to get video not only of Swoop flying around, but hopefully, footage of Swoop leaving the rocket.鈥�

Their footage will be submitted to a separate video competition at the IREC, Phillips says.聽

The 11 member 51福利社 team has worked for months to perfect the rocket and develop the electronic mechanisms of the payload. The rocket, made with fiberglass and pressed carbon fiber, has a bow-tail design. Several of the team members focused on metal-working to assemble it, while others learned sewing to handcraft Swoop鈥檚 nylon parachute, which has a diameter of 12 feet.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of specialization,鈥� says Phillips. 鈥淲e researched electronics and, as a team, simulated the flight path.鈥�

These electronic simulations were important, Phillips adds, because test launching the rocket was no simple task. Due to height restrictions, each test launch needed to be performed in a remote location with FAA approval. 鈥淪ome teams don鈥檛 make it to the competition because their rockets fail during this stage of testing,鈥� Phillips explains.聽

But 51福利社鈥檚 team successfully tested their rocket in the Tri-Cities, and are now ready to compete at the IREC next week. For Aerospace Club members, this competition is not only an opportunity to show off their rocketry skills, but also a chance to network and collaborate with international students.聽

Their travel to the Texas competition, as well as $9,000 worth of rocket materials, were funded by a grant from the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The funding was supported by generous lead gifts from Jim and Vee Martin and Mark and Lisa Haisch. Members say the funding was crucial in the team’s ability to make it to the competition.聽

鈥淭he Aerospace Club at 51福利社 is a way for students to experience the aerospace industry, including exposure to rockets, planes and drones,鈥� says Phillips. 鈥淭he IREC competition is an extension of this.鈥�

The members say the invitation is open to students from all majors to check out their club and potentially get involved in the aerospace industry.聽

While the club builds rockets, it鈥檚 not all rocket science, says Phillips. 鈥淪ome people think that they can鈥檛 do this, but a big part of the Aerospace Club is trying things that you haven鈥檛 before and learning along the way,鈥� he adds.聽聽

Story written by Avery Knochel.