History
The High Powered Rocketry team began in January 2024, initially working alongside the Keweenaw Rocket Range to compete at the 2025 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC). During its first season, the team focused on developing the scientific payload while Keweenaw Rocket Range developed the launch vehicle. The team finished within the top third of roughly 150 teams from around the world.
In August 2025, the team expanded its scope to develop the entire competition vehicle in-house, including the launch vehicle, payload, and avionics. At the 2026 IREC, the team successfully launched the 10-foot-tall Heart Attack, carrying the Metal Heart cardiovascular research payload and a fully student-developed avionics system. The vehicle achieved full recovery points, while the team placed 10th out of 170 teams for build quality. The team is now developing its vehicle for the 2027 IREC.
Our Goal
The primary goal of the High Powered Rocketry team is to design, manufacture, test, and compete with a student-built launch vehicle at the International Rocket Engineering Competition. The team is working toward a vehicle capable of reaching 10,000 feet above ground level while carrying student-researched-and-developed avionics, flight dynamics systems, and a scientific payload.
Through the competition, members gain hands-on experience across the complete development of a high-powered rocket while continuing to expand the team’s in-house engineering capabilities.
Latest Updates
-
IREC 2026 – Heart Attack and Metal Heart
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…