During the 2026 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC), AERE’s High Powered Rocketry team launched its first fully in-house-developed launch vehicle, Heart Attack.
The rocket successfully reached approximately 8,000 feet above ground level and completed a full-points recovery, marking an important milestone for the team’s launch vehicle development efforts.
Heart Attack carried a student-developed avionics system and a scientific payload known as Metal Heart.
The Metal Heart payload collected data related to the effects of large-magnitude head-to-toe accelerations on the human circulatory system.
At the competition, the team placed 10th overall in build quality and 82nd overall, demonstrating progress in its engineering and manufacturing capabilities.
The 2026 mission represented a significant step forward from the team’s 2025 competition, transitioning from developing a payload for another organization’s rocket to designing and launching its own vehicle.
