Support Our Rocketry Team’s Journey to Spaceport America, NM
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Over the past seven months, these dedicated Liberty University students have poured their efforts into designing and fabricating what might be one of the best student-built rockets in the world. Despite the challenges posed by their demanding engineering courses, their unwavering commitment has been fueled by their aspiration to participate in this year's Spaceport America Cup competition.
The Spaceport America Cup is an international, intercollegiate rocket engineering conference and competition in Las Cruces, New Mexico every year. The competition is based on the precision of your flight; the closer you are to your target altitude the better your score.
For information about Spaceport America visit this link: https://spaceportamericacup.com/
In their inaugural year of competition (2023), their debut rocket, Genesis, outperformed several schools boasting well-established aerospace engineering programs. Genesis secured an impressive 39th place out of 158 teams, surpassing institutions like Mississippi State (40th), Michigan State (62nd), and Virginia Tech (78th).
Their rocket called WAYMAKER is the second rocket in this legacy of world-class engineering feats. The WAYMAKER rocket is just over 10ft long, 6in in diameter, and is designed to reach 10,000ft in under 25 seconds. Although the Genesis rocket performed well, WAYMAKER is a tremendous upgrade.
After their first test launch on March 24th, the team saw the first results of all their hard work, and they didn’t disappoint. There was only a 1.3% difference between their simulated altitude and their actual altitude. For reference, the Genesis rocket had a 5.6% error between the simulated altitude and actual altitude at Spaceport America. A 1.3% error at the competition this year could put us well into the top 10.
However, we will not be able to compete unless we raise the $4,000 necessary to cover the cost of travel, lodging, and food so please consider donating! With your help, we will not only have a chance at winning the Spaceport America Cup, but you will also be investing in the academic enrichment of the students by enabling this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Check out the Liberty Rocketry team on Social Media!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libertyrocketry/
Co-organizers (2)
Kye Gonino
Organizer
Lynchburg, VA
Simon Babcock
Co-organizer