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Student Launch Teams Will Launch from Home Fields, Receive Awards Virtually

Student Launch, one of NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges, is an annual competition that typically culminates each April with a gathering of teams for a weekend of rocket launches and celebration. This year, in an effort to comply with federal guidance and help restrict the spread of COVID-19, these events will be modified to take place locally to each team or virtually. A virtual awards ceremony will celebrate the teams this spring.

Student Launch challenges middle school, high school, college, and university students from around the United States to design, build, test, and then fly and land a high-powered amateur rocket to at least 3,500 feet above the ground. Teams compete in collegiate or high school divisions, and are scored in nearly a dozen categories, including altitude, safety, vehicle design, social media presence, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) engagement.

High-powered amateur rocket launches

This year, Launch Division teams will complete the activity by launching at a local field, as outlined in the Student Launch Handbook. The Design Division competition will continue as outlined in the Student Launch Design Division Handbook Supplement. The project timeline and deliverable deadlines will remain unchanged for both divisions. Teams should contact Student Launch staff for questions or more details.

Marshall’s Office of STEM Engagement manages Student Launch to stimulate innovation and advance NASA’s mission through collaboration with educational institutions and students – the next-generation that will help NASA explore the Moon and travel even farther to Mars.

For more information about NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/stem/artemis.html