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Missouri Rocket Teams and Talent Among the World’s Best

  • July 04, 2017

In Paris, France, and Las Cruces, New Mexico, Missouri’s talent is rocketing to new heights.

Last month, a team from Festus High School in Missouri headed to Paris to represent the US in a rocketry competition at the Paris International Airshow after besting 100 other teams from across the US. The competition – the top teams from France, the United Kingdom and Japan.

The 10-student team bested the world’s best rocketry teams and took first place in the International Rocketry Challenge (IRC).

“The International Rocketry Challenge is a powerful way to inspire the next generation of technological innovators we need to solve some of the great challenges of our day,” said Thomas A. Kennedy, Raytheon Chairman and CEO. “Congratulations to all the participants on an outstanding global competition. Your enthusiasm for and expertise in science and math point to a bright future for us all.”

And at the same time, a team from the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) was taking on 96 teams in the inaugural Spaceport America Cup, held in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The competition challenges teams of college students to design, build and launch solid-, liquid- or hybrid-fuel rockets to a targeted altitude. Missouri S&T’s solid-fuel rocket competed in the 10,000 foot launch category.

The team had two goals: reach their projected altitude of 8,873 feet and recover the rocket by deploying parachutes; and, test equipment for future designs. The rocket reached an altitude of 8,772 feet, only 101 feet below target, and was successfully recovered.

The talented Missouri team was awarded the James Barrowman Prize for the most accurate flight prediction among the 96 teams competing, and placed second in the full competition.

For more on Missouri’s highly skilled talent check out our talent page, or contact Steve Johnson, CEO of Missouri Partnership, at 314.725.2688 or via our contact form, with any questions you might have, and learn how Missouri Partnership can help with your business expansion needs.

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