Harmony Science Academy – Houston Students Blast Off to National Rocketry Contest

A team of student rocket enthusiasts from Harmony Science Academy – Houston is setting its sights on the national finals next month. HSA- Houston is one of two teams from Houston to qualify for the American Rocketry Challenge, the world’s largest student rocket contest.

For the competition, the HSA-Houston team has to build a model rocket that safely carries a payload of one raw egg to three different altitude and time goals. With their first flight goal and qualification flights done, the team must fly to 775 feet within 39 to 42 seconds, and then to 825 feet within 41 to 44 seconds at the National Finals.

After the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of last year’s competition, 100 teams from 27 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands were selected to compete for $100,000 in prizes and the title of National Champion in the return to flight for the 2021 competition.

The American Rocketry Challenge promotes friendly competition among teams from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, and geographies—from the Great Plains to major metropolitan areas. The American Rocketry Challenge also offers $2,000 grants to eligible Title I schools to launch their own rocketry teams.

“In a year full of extraordinary challenges, teamwork and determination propelled these talented rocketeers to qualify for the National Finals,” said AIA President and CEO Eric Fanning. “While the American Rocketry Challenge may look different this year, it continues to be a bright spark of inspiration for future STEM leaders and the aerospace and defense industry.”

First launched in 2002, the Rocketry Challenge has inspired more than 80,000 middle and high school students to explore education and careers in STEM fields.