CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Three of the 100 national finalists in the American Rocketry Challenge are from the same Charlotte school. Victory Christian Center School is sending one team from its middle school and two from its high school to the May competition outside Washington, D.C.
The teams, which previously beat out more than 800 teams from 45 states, will now compete for a $100,000 grand prize. The top 25 national teams will also be automatically invited to NASA's Student Launch workshop, which has previously visited local teams including one from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Victory Christian Center School teams, including the "Hooligans" and "Girl-Powered Rockets," will travel to Virginia for the May 20 competition. The school has previously competed in the national finals.
For this year's competition, teams were challenged to design, build and launch model rockets that could safely carry one large hen egg 850 feet into the air. The rockets were required to stay airborne for between 42 and 45 seconds before safely returning to the ground. The rockets were also required to separate into two parts, similar to real space rockets, after reaching their highest altitude.
“For the last 21 years, the American Rocketry Challenge has inspired and cultivated thousands of scientists, engineers, and business leaders working on today’s most dynamic aerospace missions,” Eric Fanning, the president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, said in a released statement. “When 100 teams compete for the title of National Champion in May, it is fitting that a Challenge alumnus will be circling above them as an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. I can’t wait to see which team’s ingenuity and critical thinking will help them earn the title of National Champion!”
The Aerospace Industries Association is among more than 20 industry partners sponsoring the competition.
The competition says on its website that it has inspired nearly 90,000 middle and high school students to explore education and careers in STEM fields. Competition alumni reportedly include NASA astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg, who competed in the National Finals of the first-ever American Rocketry Challenge in 2003 and is now flying aboard the International Space Station as the pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission.
