Spaceport America and the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) have made the difficult decision to cancel the fourth annual Spaceport America Cup that was scheduled for June 16 – 20, 2020 at Spaceport America. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the decision was made based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for canceling large events in order to keep the students, spectators and sponsors safe and healthy. The event was set to engage over 1,700 college students from 17 countries on a week- long rocket design and launch competition.

We are so very proud of all of the hard work and progress all of our teams have made up to this point and hope to see all of you next year. 
Refunds will be made available available to teams who request them HOWEVER the recommended option is to request to credit this year’s paid fees to cover next year’s fees. This will secure your team’s invitation to compete in the Spaceport America Cup for next year. Any teams who request a refund will not have a reserved spot to compete in the Cup, but are still encouraged to apply again next year. All teams are asked to complete the HeroX form to indicate how they would like to proceed.
We urge all of you to follow your local guidelines to stay safe during this pandemic, and we look forward to launching with you again after the crisis has been resolved. 
If you have any further questions, feel free to comment on this post, email at [email protected], or send a direct message on any of our social media’s 

Many teams have been asking about Spaceport America Cup 2020 and the effects of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak.  We are aware that many teams across the world are impacted by school closures, travel restrictions, and other precautions to limit the spread of this virus.  Spaceport America and the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) continue to monitor events with respect to the outbreak. 

At this time, we are not cancelling the Spaceport America Cup competition; however, we are meeting weekly to discuss and take appropriate actions as global events unfold.  Please see the linked press release and we will post updates if the competition is affected.

esra_sa_joint_coronavirus_statement.pdf