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SPACEPORT AMERICA CUP

Spaceport America cancels college rocket competition

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Since 2017, Spaceport America has hosted the Spaceport America Cup, an event drawing college students from around the world to compete in their rocket-building skills and sending their rockets zooming over the New Mexico desert.

The 2020 event was set to engage more than 1,700 students from 17 countries on a weeklong rocket design and launch competition.

The key word is “was.”
Since now is the time the students would be ramping up, working head-to-head on the details of rocket engines and electronics, Spaceport America and the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) made the decision to cancel the Fourth Annual Spaceport America Cup that was scheduled for June 16 – 20, at Spaceport America.

“Having groups of students working together to build their team’s rocket is contrary to the COVID-19 protocols released by the CDC, and the State of New Mexico’s proactive leadership on this issue,” said Dan Hicks, CEO of Spaceport America in a press release. “As much as we looked forward to having 154 universities participate, it is not the appropriate course of action at this time.”

The 2019 Spaceport America Cup had 124 teams, 1,500 students, and representatives from 14 countries. The University of Washington took first place in the Spaceport America Cup and the University of New Mexico won the inaugural Spaceport America Chile Cup. Information on the 2021 Spaceport America Cup and possible actions with the 2020 Cup will be posted at www.spaceportamericacup.com.
“It is important that the students respect and abide by their state and country guidelines for the health and safety of all,” Hicks said.
ESRA has operated the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) since 2006. In 2017, ESRA partnered with Spaceport America to expand the IREC into the Spaceport America Cup. Each team designs, builds, tests and launches rockets with a payload size of 8.8 pounds and target altitudes of either 10,000 or 30,000 ft.

Rockets are typically 4 to 8 inches in diameter and 8 to 20 ft. long. Multistage rockets and all chemical propulsion types (solid, liquid, and hybrid) are allowed. 

“This is the only design/build competition for students interested in rocketry,” one of the founders Matt Ellengold said previously. “We give these students the opportunity for hands-on rocketry experience. It’s incredibly rewarding.”

The IREC has been an annual occurrence since 2006. The competition achieved international status in 2011 – when schools from Canada and Brazil joined – and has continued to grow rapidly ever since.


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