NASA RockSat Program
Welcome to the RockOn and RockSat programs. These hands-on programs connect higher education students from across the United States with opportunities to fly their experiments into space on NASA Wallops Flight Facility sounding rockets. RockOn and RockSat started in 2008 and have provided thousands of students and faculty with real-world flight experiences and experimentation. Most students get started with RockOn, but it is not required.
Please read additional details below about each program.
RockOn!
Build your first sounding rocket experiment
RockOn! is a hands-on workshop teaching participants how to create a sounding rocket experiment from scratch over a 5-day period and then launching it into space on the 6th day of the workshop. This is a team experience and takes place at Wallops.
The workshop is designed for college students and faculty. There are no prerequisites for all participants. Anything needed to be successful at the workshop will be taught at the workshop. Team size is 3 people (2 students and 1 faculty member). Each team builds one RockOn experiment. All experiments will fly on the rocket and into space.
The 2025 application is now OPEN.
RockSat-C
The next step in becoming a Rocket Scientist
RockSat-C is a program for students to design, build, and fly a sounding rocket experiment on a Terrier-Improved Orion sounding rocket (100 km apogee). Each experiment is contained in a canister that is about 10 inches in diameter by about 10 inches tall. The canister and RockSat-C experiment weigh 20 pounds. RockSat-C experiments are flown in a sealed and pressurized rocket. Each experiment has the option to access the space environment through atmospheric, optical, and/or multipurpose ports. Experiment is battery powered with the ability to store data on board.
The 2024-2025 application solicitation is now CLOSED.
RockSat-X
Advanced Student Flight Opportunity
RockSat-X is a program for students to design, build, and fly a sounding rocket experiment on a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket. Each experiment is integrated onto an aluminum deck that will be fully exposed to the space environment at apogee (150-170km) upon despin and skin ejection, providing a microgravity environment to experimenters. Each experiment is provided with a power and telemetry interface. Experiments can also be pointed at a target during the flight.
The 2024-2025 application solicitation is now CLOSED.
RockOn! MSI Faculty Workshop
Engaging Minority Institutions Faculty
The Wallops Directorate Education Team in collaboration with the Sounding Rocket Program Office conducts the faculty workshop for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professors from Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) across the United States.
The 2025 MSI Faculty Workshop is tentatively scheduled for May 2025.
Application is coming soon.
Grand cHallenge MesOsphere Student rockeT
GHOST (Grand cHallenge MesOsphere Student rockeT) is a student rocket launch in partnership with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (United States), Andøya Space (Norway), the RockSat-X program, and the Grand Challenge Initiative (GCI) II.
