MIDLAND, TX — The 2025 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) officially concluded after a week of hands-on engineering, high-powered launches, and global collaboration. Hosted by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) at the Midland Space Port Rocket Launch Area, this year’s event brought together collegiate rocketry teams from around the world for the largest competition of its kind. More than 143 student teams and universities from 22 countries gathered in Midland, Texas from June 9–14 to launch rockets they designed, built, and tested over the past year. The competition featured launch categories at 10,000, 30,000, and 45,000 feet, with teams evaluated on altitude, engineering design, safety, and mission objectives. Throughout the week, teams faced challenges including high desert winds, hardware setbacks, and long hours in the field—mirroring many of the constraints of real-world launch operations. Managing a launch gave many students direct experience with teamwork, technical execution, and in-the-moment problem solving. “Hands-on experiences like IREC are key to developing the next generation of engineers and scientists,” ESRA President Steve Taylor said. “What these students accomplish is remarkable, and every year they raise the bar even higher.” The competition concluded with the awards ceremony, where teams were recognized across multiple categories. Taking home the coveted New Horizons Trophy as the overall winner of the event was The University of Sydney, Australia for excellence in design, execution, and team performance. IREC 2025 was made possible through the support of hundreds of volunteers, mentors, and sponsors. ESRA extends its appreciation to all those who contributed to organizing and supporting this educational event. Read the full list of categories and winners below, and learn more about the IREC and ESRA at www.soundingrocket.org. 2025 New Horizons Trophy Winner | Team 704 | The University of Sydney Runner-Up | Team 184 | University of Virginia ESRA Technical Awards Jim Furfano Award for Technical Excellence Winner | Team 703 | Monash University Runner-Up | Team 704 | The University of Sydney Dr. Gil Moore Award for Innovation, presented by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Winner | Team 146 | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Runner-Up | Team 312 | Texas Tech University Charles Hoult Award for Modeling & Simulation Winner | Team 144 | Rochester Institute of Technology Runner-Up | Team 704 | The University of Sydney James Barrowman Award for Flight Dynamics Winner | Team 129 | Istanbul Technical University Runner-Up | Team 158 | The University of Tulsa ESRA Team Conduct Awards Team Sportsmanship Award Winner | Team 401 | Federal University of Santa Catarina Nancy Squires Team Spirit Award Winner | Team 310 | Rio de Janeiro State University Runner-Up | Team 701 | Indian Institute of Technology Madras Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition Category Place Awards (COTS = Commercial Off the Shelf | SRAD = Student Researched and Developed) 10K COTS First Place | Team 184 | University of Virginia Second Place | Team 129 | Istanbul Technical University Third Place Team 112 | Clemson University 30K COTS First Place | Team 208 | Mississippi State University Second Place | Team 218 | University of Texas at El Paso Third Place Team 204 | Chulalongkorn University 10K SRAD Solid Motor First Place | Team 302 | Federal University of ABC Second Place | Team 309 | Purdue University Third Place Team 314 | University of California, Irvine 30K SRAD Solid Motor First Place | Team 410 | West Virginia University Second Place | Team 407 | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Third Place Team 401 | Federal University of Santa Catarina 30K 2-Stage First Place | Team 502 | University Laval Second Place | Team 901 | Polytechnique Montreal 45K 2-Stage First Place | Team 602 | The University of Akron Second Place | Team 600 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick 10K SRAD Hybrid First Place | Team 704 | The University of Sydney Second Place | Team 703 | Monash University Third Place Team 700 | Cornell University 30K SRAD Hybrid First Place | Team 800 | Rice University Payload Challenge, Sponsored by the Space Dynamics Laboratory First Place ($1000) Team 221 | University of Houston Second Place ($750) Team 207 | Manipal Institute of Technology Third Place ($500) Team 130 | Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Honorable Mentions Team 144 | Rochester Institute of Technology | Best Deployable Team 145 | Rowan University | Outstanding Craftsmanship Media Awards Team Video Challenge Winner | Team 314 | University of California, Irvine Live Rocket Video Challenge | Best Live Onboard Video Winner | Team 193 | Wichita State University Live Rocket Video Challenge | Best Live Telemetry Visualization Winner | Team 194 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute MEDIA CONTACT:
Logan Herrera Experimental Sounding Rocket Association Director of Media [email protected] www.soundingrocket.org Update as of June 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM
All teams are welcome tomorrow. Gates open at 5am. Teams who have flown on previous days should do there best to allow other teams who have not flown to have a spot under the big tents. Also, our medical team has asked us to remind everyone that water + electrolytes are critical to avoiding heat related injuries. Please be prepared. Friday is your last full day to fly. Saturday is a very short half day. Teams are warned that waiting until Saturday to launch is a very, very bad idea. We cannot promise or guarantee your rocket will be able to launch on Saturday due to the overwhelming demand. You should Launch on Friday to avoid heartache and frustration. Show up early, and be highly prepared to launch before noon at the latest. Be safe and see everyone on Friday! Update as of June 12, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Good morning Rocketeers! ESRA continues to operate under a "safety protocol" for launch operations, only teams who have been invited or teams who are able to provide an acceptable form of shelter are able to enter the launch site. Please see HeroX for specific details. Teams that have already launched and are interested in attending to assist other teams or as spectators are allowed to enter the launch site at their own risk. Spectators and sponsors are welcome, however you must have registered online to be admitted to the site! Update as of June 11, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Good evening Rocketeers! ESRA continues to operate under a limited team "invite only" attendance, with the exception of teams who have already launched and are interested in attending to assist other teams or as spectators. Teams who are not on the list ARE NOT permitted to access the site for any reason that involves their rocket, this includes ejection testing and flight safety reviews in preparation for launching on Friday. We continue to have limited shade available and with the high expected temperatures we do not wish to put your team at risk. Teams continue to be selected based on their "ready to launch" status. Selected teams should plan appropriately to be at the gate at the designated time. The 2nd salvo will be announced with a "target" time window which will need to be flexible due to changing launch conditions. Teams who are not selected will not be allowed to enter the launch area. Please check HeroX for your teams status. As you may have noticed as you watched today's live stream, today was a challenging day with the benefit of excellent weather. Tomorrow is expected to BE MUCH HOTTER SO PREPARE!!! EMS is recommending that students have 3-4 Liquid IV powder packets per day to keep dehydration under control. The ESRA team was able to successfully launch over 30 teams. The hard work of the tent supplier has restored 4 student team tents which is 50% of what we had so tent space will be a premium for the remainder of the week. A majority of the debris has been cleared but some broken tents are still there. DO NOT GO NEAR THEM. Before you arrive for your Final Flight Check, complete the following:
Rules for Thursday:
Morning Group A (Gate opens at 5am): 101 Arizona State University 102 Atilim University 104 Austin Community College 108 Boise State University 111 Clarkson University 115 Eastern Washington University 116 Edmonds College 117 Ege University 120 Florida International University 122 George Fox University 123 Illinois Institute of Technology 124 Military Institute of Engineering 126 ITBA130 İstanbul University - Cerrahpaşa 133 Lenoir-Rhyne University 134 Liberty University 137 Michigan Technological University 138 Middle East Technical University 140 New York University Abu Dhabi 142 Pamukkale Universty 143 Queen's University 145 Rowan University 146 Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology 147 San Jose State University 148 Sapienza University of Rome 149 Selcuk University 156 The University of Arizona 163 Facultad Politécnica - Universidad Nacional de Asunción 169 University of California, Merced 174 University of Kentucky 175 University of Louisiana at Lafayette 178 University of Nebraska-Lincoln 180 University of New Mexico 182 University of Pennsylvania 187 Utah State University 193 Wichita State University 194 Worcester Polytechnic Institute 200 Ateneo de Davao University 201 Brigham Young University 204 Chulalongkorn University 209 POLITEHNICA Bucharest 211 New Mexico State University 212 Politecnico di Torino 213 Princeton University 214 Texas A&M University 216 The University of Melbourne 217 The University of Texas at Austin 219 University of Alberta 220 University of British Columbia 221 University of Houston 309 Purdue University 311 Saint Louis University 315 University of Pittsburgh 316 University of São Paulo 317 The University of Texas at Dallas 400 Duke University 407 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities 501 Toronto Metropolitan University 502 Université Laval 901 Polytechnique Montréal Good luck Rocketeers! ~ The dedicated ESRA Volunteers Update as of June 11, 2025 at 8 AM
ESRA is operating under a limited team "invite only" attendance. No spectators... Very limited services and no shade or tents available. Teams were selected based on their "ready to launch" status. Selected teams should plan appropriately to be at the gate at the designated time. The 2nd salvo will be announced with a "target" time window which will need to be flexible due to changing launch conditions. Teams who are not selected will not be allowed to enter the launch area. Please check HeroX for your teams status. The tent company continues to use all of their resources to work on restoring limited tent space for Thursday and further into the week. Our ESRA volunteers are doing their absolute best to restore limited launch operations while maintaining safe protocols. ~ ESRA Update as of June 11, 2025 at 12:30 AM
ESRA is working on a plan which could allow us to operate under a limited team "invite only" attendance. No spectators... Very limited services and no shade or tents available. Our focus is on rapid, simple and ready to launch teams. The next announcement will provide critical information for teams selected to proceed to the launch site. If your team number is listed in the 1st salvo, you should plan appropriately to be at the gate at the designated time. The 2nd salvo will be announced with a "target" time window which will need to be flexible due to changing launch conditions. Teams who are not selected will not be allowed to enter the launch area. In parallel, the tent company is gathering all of their resources to work on restoring limited tent space for Thursday and further into the week. This is a very bad situation but ESRA volunteers are doing their absolute best to restore limited launch operations while maintaining safe protocols. ~ ESRA Update as of June 10, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The IREC Launch site has been severely impacted by a windstorm with significant damage occurring to the tents onsite. Our tent supplier is onsite inspecting the damage and will provide us an update as soon as possible. Stay tuned for additional updates in the next hour or two. As of 8pm, the likely expectation is a complete cancelation of launch operations on Wednesday. ESRA is exploring a multitude of options right now so please stay tuned. ~ ESRA 2025 ESRA IREC Call for Rocketry JudgesAssist us in operating the world's largest international rocket engineering competition, the 2025 ESRA IREC. With over 150 teams competing from 22 countries, this competition attracts over 2,000 student competitors to West Texas.
Volunteer information can be found here. Pre-Registration is Now Open!Hello Rocketeers,
Thank you all for your patience while we prepared Pre-Registration. Pre-Registration is a little different this year, it will be completed on an individual basis using a Microsoft Form. The same form will be used for all types of attendees, Students, Advisors, Flyers of Record, Mentors, Volunteers, Spectators, Sponsors, Vendors, and Press alike. There will be some questions that are specific to your category (i.e., student). Remember that ALL attendees must obtain a Tripoli membership for insurance purposes. The Liability Waiver is now apart of the form, so once you digitally sign and accept the terms in the form your waiver will be complete. I have linked a tutorial to explain, as well as a document that lays out the information that we will be collecting, and the link to the form itself. You will have until April 28th to complete pre-registration, but remember that the earlier your entire team completes Pre-Registration the better time-slot you will get! This information is critical for many aspects of our operation, the earlier we get it the better, so please submit as soon as possible. Pre-Registration Instructions 2025 Pre-Registration Tutorial Pre-Registration Form Thank you for your time, Sierra Stockwell Registration Coordinator Uprange Operations Manager [email protected] ESRA is proud to announce the selection of the 2025 ESRA IREC Mission Patch! This amazing patch was selected out of a pool of over a dozen design submissions. Congrats to Emre Kilic
with the TOBB ETU Rocketry team! A $250 prize will be sent to Emre for such amazing work! |
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