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 media@esrarocket.org, 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

Congratulations to the 150 teams chosen to compete in the 2020 Spaceport America Cup!

For the complete list of teams and team IDs, please see the PDF file on the Spaceport America Cup 2020 event page.

Below is the breakdown of team locations and competition categories.

ESRA has received just over 200 applications!

Here's some interesting tidbits from the data so far. BY FAR, our largest international group- 72 in total
Number of teams from each country:
12 - Algeria
5 - Australia
6 - Brazil
21 - Canada
1 - Costa Rica
1 - Denmark
1 - Greece
7 - India
1 - Malaysia
6 - Mexico
1 - Morocco
1 - Nepal
1 - New Zealand
1 - Norway
5 - Poland
1 - Romania
1 - Russian Federation
1 - Spain
1 - Switzerland
5 - Turkey
1 - UAE
5 - UK

The Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) is pleased to announce the Application Phase for the 2020 Spaceport America Cup is now OFFICIALLY OPEN!!!

• The application window will remain open until October 18th so you only have a few weeks.  
• We are no longer using the excel spreadsheet and dropbox method for accepting applications. Anything placed into the dropbox will be deleted. The HeroX platform is the only way to submit an application
• The new application process is hosted on the HeroX platform!  All team applications, progress updates, and project technical reports/presentations/posters will now be managed through the HeroX online platform.  No more spreadsheets to upload to Dropbox.  
• The updated IREC Rules and Requirements, IREC Design Test and Evaluation Guide, and Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) documents have been updated. Additional updates will occur as needed and will be announced to all teams.  All teams MUST review these documents in order to prepare for the competition properly.

ESRA and Spaceport America are very excited for these changes.  We also recognize that change can take some getting used to.  We ask for your patience during this transition.  We'll work closely with you and the HeroX team to resolve any technical issues.

Similar to last year, all applications will be reviewed and final selections will be announced on October 28th. We are expanding the number of accepted teams to 150. 

Criteria for selection include but are not limited to:

1. Overall quality of the project proposal
2. Overall strength, quality and history of the team
3. Multiple teams from the same school flying in the same event may also be restricted

 
To begin your team's application process, follow these instructions:

1. Go to https://www.herox.com/SpaceportAmericaCup2020
2. Click on the "Accept Challenge" button to register yourself as the team captain
3. Create your team (ensure you include the School's name in your team name Ex:  Oregon State Viper Hawks 30k SRAD):
   • The Team Captain should create a team on HeroX. Once the team is created, they can invite their team members via email to join their team.
   • You do not have to add all team members to HeroX at this stage.
4. Click Begin Entry to start your application.

If you have questions or are experiencing problems, please post these on the HeroX forum.  Announcements will also be made through HeroX and will be posted on our website and FB pages.
Our website address is www.soundingrocket.org  #SACup2020

Sincerely,
The ESRA Team

Hello Rocketeers!

The Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) is hard at work getting ready for the 2020 Spaceport America Cup.  We have some important updates for you to be aware of outlined below:

1. The application deadline has been extended!  The application window will open on October 4th and remain open until October 18th.  Applications will not be accepted prior to October 4th because we are transitioning to the HeroX online platform.  Teams who already uploaded their application to Dropbox will need to reapply.
   
2. We are transitioning to the HeroX online platform!  All team applications, progress updates, and project technical reports/presentations/posters will now be managed online.  This means no more spreadsheets to upload to Dropbox and reduces the challenge of managing so much data from so many teams.  The transition to the HeroX site is in work and a link is not yet available. The ESRA team is working feverishly behind the scenes to prepare the online application forms. The application process will begin on October 4th.  At that time, we will provide the link to begin registration.  
   
3. We will be publishing updates to the IREC Rules and Requirements, IREC Design Test and Evaluation Guide, and Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) documents on or before October 4th.  All teams MUST review these documents in order to prepare for the competition properly.
   

ESRA and Spaceport America are very excited for these changes.  We also recognize that change can take some getting used to.  We ask for your patience during this transition.  We'll work closely with you and the HeroX to resolve any technical issues.

As always, check our website www.soundingrocket.org frequently for news updates and follow on our Facebook page.  #SACup2020

The ESRA Team

Wait no more!! The Winners and Scores have been posted to the 2019 SA Cup page on our website. Click Here to go there now.  As we get more media to post we will be updating this page, so please feel free to check back again later.

In accordance with Section 2.6.4 of the IREC Rules & Requirements Document, the following 26 Teams have been selected to present particular aspects of their project related work in the 2019 SA Cup Conference Podium Session. The two files attached are a consolidated list of their abstract submissions and the schedule presentations will occur on the conference day - including their location. Teams not selected may still be asked to participate in the Podium Session if extenuating circumstances prevent one of the selected teams from attending.  All teams are required to participate in the SA Cup Conference Poster Session. Whether selected for inclusion in the Podium Session or not, we encourage all teams to participate in observing presentations which interest them, so they may both learn from and show support for their fellow teams.

Progress updates must be submitted by COB Monday Eastern Time. 

This is the same excel file you submitted for your application into the event. Simply update it with the latest and greatest information. You are allowed to switch categories until the final progress update, so feel free to do so now.

​​*Sorry if the countdown timer doesn't work, I tried copying some HTML code.*

https://www.dropbox.com/request/C50eSdxUpbib0U9NtFZK

To all teams ordering motors through Animal Motor Works (AMW), you must submit your order before February 1st to have guaranteed delivery at the SA Cup Event. Please note that other motor distributors will have similar deadlines. So order your motors ASAP if you have not already.

Thanks,
​Dustin Koehler