Rocket Project Solids - Fall 2026
Description
UC Irvine Rocket Project Solids is taking on our next challenge as we advance from 10,000 to 30,000 feet with our most ambitious student-developed rocket yet! This year, we are pushing our technical capabilities further than ever before as we prepare to compete in the 30K Student Researched and Designed (SRAD) category at IREC 2027.
Bright Fury: Our IREC 2026 competition rocket that reached
an altitude of 10,695 feet.
Who We Are
UC Irvine Rocket Project Solids is a student-led undergraduate engineering team dedicated to designing, manufacturing, testing and launching high-powered solid-propellant rockets. Since our founding in 2022, we have continued to grow our technical capabilities through student-developed propulsion, in-house composite manufacturing, custom avionics and flight hardware and increasingly ambitious competition vehicles.
Over the past few years, that growth has taken us from our earliest motor tests to competing with fully Student Researched and Designed (SRAD) rockets at the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC). In 2025, our rocket Azula earned second place in the 10K SRAD category and 1st Place in the Team Video Challenge. In 2026, Bright Fury continued that progress as we expanded our experience with propulsion development, manufacturing, testing and flight operations placing 7th in the 10K SRAD category and received an Honorable Mention for our Payload. Each project since then has helped us build the experience, knowledge and technical foundation needed to take on even greater challenges.
Our Next Challenge: 10K to 30K
For the 2026–27 season, we are advancing from the 10,000-foot to the 30,000-foot SRAD category at IREC 2027, representing a significant increase in both performance and engineering challenge.
Our new rocket will be powered by an N-class solid rocket motor using in-house formulated APCP propellant and is expected to exceed Mach 1.0. We are also developing new capabilities including active airbrakes for precise apogee targeting, a single-separation dual-deployment recovery system and live onboard video.
Reaching 30,000 feet requires more than simply building a larger rocket. It demands extensive design work, manufacturing, testing and iteration across every major system. As our goals grow, so does the importance of validating each component before competition.
April 5th FAR Launch of Night Fury, our IREC 2026 test-bed rocket used to
validate systems for our competition rocket, Light Fury.
Why Testing Matters
We experienced the importance of testing firsthand during the 2025–26 academic year. Our original competition rocket, Light Fury, was designed to fly on our student-developed APCP motor in the 10K SRAD category. During an April static fire at Friends of Amateur Rocketry, a motor failure forced us to scratch Light Fury and, with less than two months until IREC, design and manufacture an entirely new rocket: Bright Fury.
That experience reinforced why testing is such an essential part of our process. Every static fire, subsystem test and flight gives us the opportunity to collect data, identify problems, improve our designs and try again before competition.
As we take on 30K SRAD, testing will be more important than ever. This is why your support is crucial! We need your help to ensure we have access to the materials, propulsion hardware, avionics, recovery systems, replacement components and testing opportunities needed to turn our designs into flight-ready hardware.
April static fire failure during propulsion testing of our
APCP motor for Light Fury.
We invite you to join us as we take UC Irvine Rocket Project Solids from 10K to 30K. Every test brings us closer to 30K, and every contribution helps propel our project forward.
Thank you for believing in our vision, fueling our mission and helping UC Irvine Rocket Project Solids take on our most ambitious challenge yet.
Flight Safety Review at the International Rocket
Engineering Competition in Midland, Texas.
Connect With Us
Stay connected with UC Irvine Rocket Project Solids as we work towards IREC 2027.
Check out our website, follow our progress on Instagram and LinkedIn or contact us directly at ucirocketprojectsolids@gmail.com.
$25
Ignition
Every rocket starts with a spark! Your gift helps keep our team equipped with the essential safety equipment and lab supplies used throughout the manufacturing and testing of our rocket. From protective equipment to tools and consumable supplies, every contribution helps ignite our progress and keep our mission moving forward.
$50
Build
Your support helps advance the manufacturing of our 30K rocket, providing the materials and components needed to turn our designs into flight-ready hardware bringing our rocket to life. With your support, we can turn ambitious designs into the hardware that propels our project forward.
$100
Test
Your contribution helps power our journey to 30,000 feet supporting the materials and hardware needed to develop and test our student-developed N-class solid rocket motor and in-house formulated APCP propellant. Together, we can push the capabilities of our propulsion system and take our project to new heights.
$250
Power
Your donation helps provide the hardware, materials and replacement components needed to test and validate our rocket systems. Each test gives us valuable data to identify problems, refine our designs and prepare for flight. Your support keeps our mission on track as we test, learn and improve with every iteration.
$500
Control
Your generosity helps us take on one of the biggest challenges of our 30K rocket: controlling its flight and bringing it safely back to the ground. Your support helps us develop the avionics, active airbrakes and recovery systems that allow us to precisely target our 30,000-foot apogee and safely recover our rocket. Thank you for believing in our vision and helping us take on our most ambitious engineering challenges yet.
$1,000
30K and Beyond
Your incredible support at this level makes a significant impact on our journey from 10K to 30K. Your support helps fund final flight hardware and operational logistics for IREC 2027 as our team represents UC Irvine. Your generosity helps push UC Irvine Rocket Project Solids beyond 30K and build a stronger foundation for the ambitious projects our future teams will pursue.
