Space Raiders scored 38th overall out of 122 teams competing at Spaceport America Cup 2024.
About the Competition (Spaceport America Cup):
The Spaceport America Cup is a prestigious international collegiate rocketry competition held annually at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Organized by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA), it stands as one of the world's largest and most esteemed events of its kind. This year, the competition saw participation from 122 universities spanning 22 countries worldwide, including 13 teams from Texas. The competition features six categories, categorized by altitude limit (10,000 ft or 30,000 ft) and motor type (Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) or student research and development): 10K COTS, 10K SRAD, 10K Hybrid/Liquid, 30K COTS, 30K SRAD, and 30K Hybrid/Liquid. Scores are determined based on various criteria, including rocket design and construction, progress and final technical reports, safety measures, team spirit, and notably, the accuracy of predicting and achieving apogee. Overall, the Spaceport America Cup presents a significant engineering challenge for universities, highlighting innovation and technical expertise on a global stage.
Meaning of the 2024 Spaceport America Cup for Space Raiders:
Space Raiders, the rocketry division of the Raider Aerospace Society, participates in the world's largest international intercollegiate rocketry competition, the Spaceport America Cup. Space Raiders made history in 2023 as the first team from Texas Tech University to launch a rocket at this prestigious event. In the 2023 competition, known as Spaceport 2023, Space Raiders launched the Centennial Champion, marking a significant milestone despite encountering a tracking failure that prevented rocket recovery. This year, Space Raiders launched Fearless Champion, a 12-foot rocket weighing 65 pounds. The launch was flawless, and Space Raiders achieved the remarkable feat of recovering their rocket intact, placing among the 50 teams out of 122 that successfully recovered their rockets without damage. Overall, the team secured 38th place overall, 23rd in the 10K COTS, 16th best report, and 3rd place among Texas teams. This accomplishment underscores the team's resilience and determination in overcoming challenges, displaying what is possible through hard work and perseverance even in the face of adversity.
Upcoming Projects for Space Raiders:
Space Raiders are preparing to participate in the 2025 Spaceport America Cup, aiming to refine our systems based on past experiences. Currently, we are focused on developing our own solid rocket engines. Thanks to the hard work of the Pigeon Works teams during the 2023-2024 year, RAS is nearing completion of in-house fabrication of SRAD solid rocket motors by early fall. This project encompasses motor case and nozzle creation, fuel grain shape development, and the formulation of RAS’s proprietary propellant. These advancements will enable Space Raiders to produce multiple motors for test flights, enhancing our predictive capabilities. Additionally, we are enhancing rocket guidance through the implementation of control surfaces, primarily airbrakes. These innovations improve Texas Tech’s aerospace capabilities. Pegasus, the aeronautics division of RAS, competes annually in the Design, Build, Fly (DBF) competition. Each year, DBF presents a unique mission profile, and teams design and manufacture subscale aircraft to meet competition requirements. In DBF 2023, Pegasus’ proposal earned 1st place, securing an overall 50th position out of 99 teams. RAS aims to enhance manufacturing and testing capabilities for Pegasus, advancing our standing in the DBF competition. Pigeon Works, RAS’s research, and development arm, achieved a significant milestone last year by successfully designing and firing a solid rocket motor, a historic first for Texas Tech. This successful project will be transitioned to Space Raiders for further development. Currently, our active project involves constructing an industrial autoclave to expand composite body manufacturing capabilities. Once completed, the autoclave will benefit all RAS divisions, facilitating increased SRAD component integration in our projects. Pigeon Works is exploring avenues to expand our R&D capabilities and is actively seeking new projects that benefit our team and the University.
Next Goal for the Upcoming Year:
RAS has a multitude of active and planned projects that we aim to significantly expand in the 2024-2025 academic year. Our primary focus is on advancing our solid rocket motor capabilities, which is our largest project to date and looks to establish a dedicated propulsion lab for RAS. This initiative will enable both Space Raiders and Pegasus to enhance their manufacturing, documentation, testing, and predictive capabilities. Additionally, we are committed to enhancing our composite body manufacturing capabilities through implementing an industrial autoclave project that will enable us to manufacture a substantial portion of components internally, benefiting both divisions. Moreover, RAS is intensifying its outreach efforts. We are partnering with the Lubbock Science Spectrum to educate children about rocketry and aviation and are organizing events with Lubbock ISD that will focus on rocketry and drone technology. Additionally, we aim to bolster our presence on campus, supporting new cohorts of engineers and other majors in engaging with local communities and them broader aerospace industry.
Engineering's Role in the Organization:
Engineering plays a pivotal and fundamental role in the success of our organization. It serves as the cornerstone of our endeavors, enabling us to design and develop innovative aircraft and rockets. Despite the absence of a formal Aerospace Engineering degree program, RAS has thrived by fostering a vibrant community of learning within the Whitacre College of Engineering. This community-driven approach has compelled us to push the boundaries of aerospace engineering capabilities through collaborative efforts and shared expertise. The principles and core values we acquire through engineering coursework are directly applicable to our work within the organization, providing us with the technical expertise and problem-solving skills essential for tackling complex challenges in our projects. These foundational principles not only guide our design and manufacturing processes but also cultivate a culture of innovation and excellence within our teams. This dynamic environment encourages continuous learning, fostering a spirit of exploration and experimentation that drives us to excel and make significant contributions to the aerospace capabilities of Texas Tech from within the broader engineering framework we have.
From Here It’s Possible: New Insights from the Competition:
During this year’s Spaceport America Cup, Texas Tech achieved a notable feat by placing in the top third of participating schools from around the world. Despite operating on a budget significantly lower than many of our competitors, we demonstrated our ability to maximize resources effectively and compete against some of the best universities from around the world. This showed what is possible from Texas Tech University. Moreover, this competition marked a historic milestone for Texas Tech as it was the first time in our school’s history that a high -powered rocket was launched and successfully recovered without any damage. This achievement signifies significant progress for our organization, reflecting our commitment to continuous improvement and pursuit of excellence. These accomplishments not only highlight our capability to innovate and succeed against odds but also demonstrate our dedication to advancing aerospace technology and education in our community. This shows that the Raider Aerospace Society embody the spirit of "From Here It’s Possible" This success has energized our team and solidified our resolve to push boundaries and set new standards in aerospace engineering at Texas Tech University.
Words of Encouragement for Future Students:
Texas Tech has proven to be a community of innovators rapidly expanding our capabilities. Here, you will have the chance to contribute to something new and witness it evolve into something extraordinary. Raider Aerospace Society exemplifies this spirit—we have elevated aerospace capabilities from a fledgling rocket team to achieving a top-third ranking among the world's best schools. You will have the opportunity to forge friendships, collaborate with many like-minded individuals, and experience significant opportunities for professional growth. Here at Texas Tech and the Raider Aerospace Society, we go by the motto “Be Bold.”