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International Rocket Engineering Competition

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International Rocket Engineering Competition 2025

Join us as we host thousands of the world's most ambitious collegiate rocketeers in a one-of-a-kind event.

This challenge is closed

stage:
1st Interim Progress Report Due, Entry Fee Due

This challenge is closed

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Summary
Timeline
Updates16
Forum100
Teams2.4K
Resources
FAQ
Summary

Overview

International Rocket Engineering Competition 2025

June 9-14, 2025

Over 2,000 students, faculty and mentors will gather for the 18th annual International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC)in June of 2025.  Drawn by the opportunity to collaborate and compete in a world class event, you represent the best and brightest from more than 150 colleges and universities located across the USA and around the world. 

Join us as we host thousands of the world's most ambitious collegiate rocketeers in a one-of-a-kind event. Part academic conference and part design-build-fly style competition, the IREC has something to offer students, faculty, industry representatives, and amateur aerospace aficionados alike.

 

The biggest rockets, the highest altitudes and largest payloads! 
​How will you answer the call?

Whether you are an academic, an industry representative, a retired professional, or simply a passionate amateur supportive of young minds who seek new horizons... there are many ways you may become a part of an event impacting the future of aerospace...

As a Sponsor...

You could interact with over 1,800 university STEM students from top ranked universities and colleges in a professional and competitive setting. Not only can your organization interact with them face to face but you can also learn about how their aerospace hardware performs in real world conditions. Finally, you will help make possible an event which inspires the best possible candidates for your company! 

As a Volunteer...

You will join a highly motivated and talented ESRA team which brings together the thousands of moving pieces to build the world's largest collegiate rocket engineering conference and competition. From directing crowds to directing launches and everything in between, we need you at the IREC! 

As a Judge...

You will join a group of respected experts and professionals who interact with the student teams to evaluate and score the deliverables, including technical design documents, overall team performance and launch success.  This team determines who will receive the coveted Genesis Trophy as the Overall Winner of the IREC.

As a Student... 

You will demonstrate your hard work on an international stage, in front of thousands of your peers, professors, and prospective employers. You will engage in design-build-fly style rocket and payload engineering competitions in a professional setting, at world class facilities, where the sky is not the limit!


Guidelines

Guidelines for the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) are hosted on our website! www.soundingrocket.org/irec-documents--forms.html

You'll want to review the following documents:

  • IREC Rules and Requirements Document
  • IREC Design, Test, and Evaluation Guide
  • Integrated Master Schedule
  • SDL Payload Challenge Rules & Information
  • IREC Range Standard Operating Procedures
  • Pre-Registration Forms and Instructions
  • Explanation Letter for IREC Fees
  • Proper Clothing for the IREC
  • Maps to travel to the Vertical Launch Area

 

 





 

Timeline
Updates16

Challenge Updates

Correction to 1st Progress Report and Reminders to teams about various Rules

Dec. 8, 2024, 11:46 a.m. PST by ESRA Executive Director

Launch Rail Length - The 1st progress report showed 5.6m for the launch rails.  The CORRECT value is 5.18m (17 feet).  Please note in your simulations.

Also, outside of Hybrid, Liquid, Demonstration and multistage flights, TEAMS must design their rocket to utilize the ESRA launch pads.  (1515 5.18m).  

 

CHANGING CATEGORY - 

Teams CANNOT change categories. There are only two exceptions:

  • 30k team experiences a late test catastrophic failure with significant damage to the rocket.  The team, with ESRA review and approval, may drop down to the 10k COTS category.
     
  • Hybrid or Liquid Team experiences development or test delays/ failure.  The team, with ESRA review and approval, may drop down to the 10k COTS category.

1st Progress Report Submission is CLOSED

Dec. 6, 2024, 5:51 p.m. PST by ESRA Executive Director

The following teams failed to submit their 1st progress report - 

 

To complete the report, they must email to request a Late Entry Submission and to accept the penalty points for the late submission.
 

116 Edmonds College
118 EskiÅŸehir Osmangazi Ãœniversitesi
154 Texas A&M University
161 Universidad Autónoma de Baja California
169 University of California, Merced
179 University of Nevada, Las Vegas
183 University of Utah
211 New Mexico State University
306 Kent State University
408 University of Texas at San Antonio
500 FIRAT UNIVERSITY


Two Important reminders for all teams - Travel Reservations and 1st Progress Report is due

Dec. 4, 2024, 2:34 p.m. PST by ESRA Executive Director

#1 - Student teams SHOULD NOT MAKE TRAVEL RESERVATIONS YET! ESRA is working to finalize a new event and launch site and should be announcing the location in mid to late December.

 

#2 - The DEADLINE for the 1st Interim Progress Report is Friday, Dec 6, 2024.  Get your team's report submitted ASAP.  Do not wait until the last minute to avoid any possible technical issues making your submission LATE.


Progress Report 1 (Preliminary Design Review) is now ACTIVE - Dec 6 is the deadline

Nov. 24, 2024, 10:14 a.m. PST by ESRA Executive Director

DO NOT WAIT until the last day to submit.   Failure to submit will cost your team penalty points and possible removal from the competition.

You access the form from the HEROX page


Congratulations to all of the selected teams for the 2025 IREC

Nov. 17, 2024, 3:53 p.m. PST by ESRA Executive Director

 ESRA looks forward to working with you over the next 8 months! 

 

HeroX, as well as soundingrocket.org website and our social media sites will all celebrate this announcement.

Trust that ESRA is WORKING VERY HARD on our new launch site.  We will announce this as soon as we can.  Multiple sites are still being evaluated.

 

For teams who were declined, it is highly recommended that you seek other opportunities to compete and/or launch in your region, in preparation for the 2026 IREC.  

Typically, application are declined for one or more of the following reasons:

  • Poor overall quality of the application, lacking detail, incorrect or missing data
  • Team lacked sufficient experience to safely design, build and launch a rocket in that specific category
  • Team did not follow rules and regulations or standards set forth in the DTEG
  • Flyer of Record not provided or was not Tripoli L3 certified

The number of international collegiate rocketry competitions and teams continues to grow. Latin America, Australia, Canada, Europe, Turkey, Algeria, Peru, Portugal, Korea, Nepal, Mexico etc. have grown in both experience and expertise with enhanced applications for the 2025 IREC.  In the US, teams should look to compete in the Argonia Cup or any of the great events at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) site in southern California.

For those teams who will be competing this year, ESRA is working hard to make this not only the largest, but the best Cup event ever held.  Over the next few weeks, there will be many updates and requests to student team leaders.  

 

Please respond to these as quickly as possible to ensure your team is 100% prepared.

  • For international teams seeking a formal acceptance letters, please send a request to general.info@esrarocket.org

June is only a short 8 months away.  Get busy with your designing, building and testing!

-The ESRA Team


Forum100
Teams2.4K
Resources
FAQ