The Space Raiders, a team of 25 students from the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering’s Raider Aerospace Society, brought home a First Place win from the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) held in Midland, Texas, in June 2026.
IREC is the largest intercollegiate competition in the world, with more than 150 teams from 23 countries competing this year. Teams have the option to compete at the 10,000, 30,000 or 45,000 feet altitude levels and in two propulsion system categories: commercial off the shelf (COTS) or student researched and developed (SRAD).
This is the second year for Space Raiders to compete in the 10,000 feet SRAD division and their fourth IREC competition. This year’s team was led by Olivia Lira, a third-year mechanical engineering student who was introduced to rocketry in high school and participated in the IREC competition the prior two years.
Lira became the Space Raiders Director just after the 2025 competition and immediately began preparing for this year’s effort under the mentorship of faculty advisor Andrew Mosedale and industry mentors Elvin Carey and Jim Ballard.
Lira explains, “Building a rocket is a complex process involving multiple systems. We divided into teams to tackle development for each of the six system components, and everyone had to work closely together through the design phase. Because each system is so interconnected in how they impact each other, the whole project hinged on how well we all worked together to communicate and problem solve through each design component.”
Independent sub-teams for aerostructures, recovery, propulsion, payload, avionics and airbrake systems spent the fall semester 2025 researching and designing their respective systems.
After several months of work, the team held a preliminary design review with faculty and industry mentors for feedback, followed by a critical design review in February. The bulk of manufacturing was completed between March and end of May, when they completed a test flight at a designated launch site in Seymour, Texas. The competition process also required periodic technical progress reports due to the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA).
Mosedale is quick to acknowledge the scale and impact of the IREC project. "I am full of admiration for Olivia Lira and the Space Raiders. The project of designing, building and flying such a complex device requires more skills than one person can have. The team's ability to coordinate efforts, work harmoniously, and get the best from everyone is just wonderful. I think participating in IREC will rank among the very top experiences of their undergraduate careers for many of these students. I commend them for taking on the challenge."
Competition week in June included networking and poster presentations for research and design followed by four launch days, which were significantly hampered by extreme weather conditions: 110 degree heat, high winds and heavy rain.
Competitive scoring is based on a 1,000 point scale, with half of the points awarded for precision on flight distance and on recovery performance. The Space Raiders team was .47 points from a perfect score on flight, at 10,004 ft. They achieved a perfect score on recovery. In these two categories, they achieved the best score overall across all three distance divisions.
Space Raiders is one of three subgroups in the Raider Aerospace Society (RAS). The other two are Pegasus and Pigeonworks.
“The best thing about Raider Aerospace Society is that it is a place where students can connect and really participate on projects regardless of their prior experience. There is room for everyone to learn and contribute,” says Lira, who will be stepping into the vice president role for the RAS this year. “It’s amazing how much real-world engineering experience you can get from such a fun project.”
Song-Charng Kong, chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department, adds, "Many of our mechanical engineering students have a strong interest in aerospace. Three years ago, we introduced a minor in aerospace engineering to meet that growing demand. This fall, we are excited to take the next step by launching our Bachelor of Science program in Aerospace Engineering, providing students with expanded educational opportunities and preparing them for careers in the rapidly growing aerospace industry."
Leadership for the 2026 Space Raiders team included
Space Raiders Director: Olivia Lira
Aerostructures Lead: Ishan Naik
Avionics Lead: Logan Rohlfs
Airbrake Lead: Derek Sumstad
Recovery Lead: Yoosr Hassan
Propulsion Lead: Jacky Ledezma