NASA will announce the winners of this year’s Student Launch competition in a live, virtual awards ceremony beginning 3:30 p.m. CT June 3. Media are invited to attend via Ustream or the Student Launch Facebook page.
Student Launch, one of NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges, is an annual competition that typically culminates each April with a gathering of teams for a weekend of rocket launches and celebration. This year, in an effort to comply with federal guidance and help restrict the spread of COVID-19, these events were modified to take place locally to each team or virtually.
Student Launch challenges middle school, high school, college, and university students from around the United States to design, build, test, and then fly and land a high-powered amateur rocket to at least 3,500 feet above the ground. Teams compete in collegiate or middle school/high school divisions, and are scored in nearly a dozen categories, including altitude, safety, vehicle design, social media presence, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics engagement.
This year, the university level teams were tasked with developing a Planetary Lander System payload to be deployed during flight recovery, which could land, self-level, assemble a 360o panoramic image of the landing site, and transmit the image to a remote ground station. Middle school/high school teams were tasked with developing a science experiment or engineering payload appropriate to their capabilities and curriculum.
Marshall’s Office of STEM Engagement manages Student Launch to stimulate innovation and advance NASA’s mission through collaboration with educational institutions and students – the next-generation that will help NASA explore the Moon and travel even farther to Mars.
For more information about NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges, visit:
