Students on the Waterloo Rocketry student design team continually innovate to break records with their liquid rocket.
Over the summer, the team participated in Launch Canada, an annual national competition for high-powered rockets, with the flight of its liquid bi-propellant rocket, named Aurora. The flight took off without issue and reached an altitude of around 38,000 feet. Although there were some technical difficulties with the recovery system, the team was still able to place well in the competition.
The team tested the rocket by accelerating it straight up into the air and launching it so fast that anyone watching from the ground could only see the rocket for 3 to 4 seconds.
The launch ultimately doubled the team’s record from the previous year and secured them second place in the competition's Advanced Launch category.
Waterloo Rocketry has also served as a training ground for students to secure aerospace co-ops and even full-time jobs at aerospace companies upon completing their program.
The team consists of many mechanical and mechatronics engineering students, as well as students from other engineering disciplines and faculties. MME faculty member Andrew Milne advises the team.
The team is excited to take the lessons they learned from this year's competition and work on their next rocket launch for 2026.
See the launch below:
Plus, for more information about the team’s success in Student rocketry team breaks Canadian Record in Engineering News.