 2025 New Horizons Trophy Winner | Team 704 The University of Sydney - Photo by Tahoma Photography 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 Comments are closed.
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