Who We Are:

The Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 for the purpose of fostering and promoting engineering knowledge and experience in the field of rocketry. ESRA's primary focus is providing safe and exciting opportunities for academic groups to compete in aerospace challenges.

What We Do:

ESRA has operated the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) since 2006. In 2017, ESRA partnered with Spaceport America to expand the IREC into the Spaceport America Cup. Each year, over a hundred university teams from across the USA and around the world compete at Spaceport America’s amazing Vertical Launch Area for the coveted title of Overall Winner. Each year, we accept over 150 teams! Each team designs, builds, tests and launches rockets with a payload size of 8.8 pounds and target altitudes of either 10,000 or 30,000 ft. Rockets are typically 4 to 8 inches in diameter and 8 to 20 ft. long. Multistage rockets and all chemical propulsion types (solid, liquid, and hybrid) are allowed. For information about competing in the Spaceport America Cup, please visit http://www.soundingrocket.org/

The IREC has been an annual occurrence since 2006. The competition achieved international status in 2011 – when schools from Canada and Brazil joined – and has continued to grow rapidly ever since. More than 1,800 students attended the 2024 competition, representing over 120 schools from 22 countries on 5 different continents.