UMass Rocket Team 2026
Welcome to the UMass Rocket Team’s MinuteFund page! We are an engineering design team at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In previous years we have competed in the NASA Student Launch Competition and reached an altitude of 5,000 ft. This year, the team is excited to announce our acceptance to the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) with a goal apogee of 10,000 ft and the implementation of new technology such as live telemetry, airbrakes, and a shockwave sensor!
Crowdfunding is essential to our team's yearly operations, and this year more than ever we are looking for your support! Generous donations from friends, family, and the general public allow our team to afford the high-end materials and resources necessary for a successful and reusable rocket, and allow our team to grow and evolve as more students join the team and explore their passion in aerospace and engineering.
About the Team
This year's team consists of 38 undergraduate students from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Members are split across a range of disciplines including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science.
Within the team, there are three subteams, each of which has a specific focus on the design of the rocket and payload.
- Structures + Flight Dynamics - design and construct the overall body of the rocket considering fluid flow and and airframe integrity. Structures members work on optimizing the material selection, aerodynamics, and engine motor of the vehicle.
- Recovery - monitor flight data and guarantee a safe descent and landing of the rocket, allowing it to be reusable for multiple flights. Recovery members work on tracking the rocket's flight, making adjustments along the flight path via airbrakes, and ensuring safe descent through vehicle separation and parachute deployment.
- Payload - create a specialized payload for the rocket to complete a unique set of challenges selected each year. Payload members work on designing the hardware, software, and integration systems needed for the payload to achieve its mission. This year, our rocket is projected to reach an altitude of 10,000 ft and the Payload subteam is working to program a live telemetry system to access data during flight.
As a dynamic group of undergraduate engineers, we are passionate about challenging the boundaries of aerospace design and exploration. The team is very close-knit with one another, not solely because of our shared passion, but our constant collaboration, and problem solving that allows us to face challenges and create solutions as engineering challenges arise. With a golden age of spaceflight and aerospace engineering on the horizon, the students of the UMass Rocket Team hope to be part of the next generation of innovators who push what is possible and explore the unknown.
We are forever thankful for your support and encouragement as we would not be able to do any of this without you!
$5
STEM Outreach Supplies
Every year, our team prioritizes visiting elementary through high school students in the Western Mass region to inspire interest in problem solving, aerospace, and STEM. We give educational presentations that connect in-class learning to real applications in rocketry, and host fun hands-on projects to round out the visit. Your donation helps us purchase materials for bottle rocket, straw rocket, and paper model crafts, allowing us to inspire the next generation of engineers! Thank you for your support!
$25
Parachute Materials
This year, for the first time, the team is handcrafting our own parachutes from scratch using custom-made designs and a combination of nylon and kevlar. Each parachute is not just a work of science, but a work of art, requiring fine attention to detail, craftsmanship, and the time and careful dedication of recovery team members. Your donation allows us to afford the high quality materials that ensure the rocket’s safe descent and landing, along with the troubleshooting and repairs that we encounter as we tackle this new feat! Thank you for your support!
$75
Electronic Components
This year, for the first time, the team is designing our own on-board electronics including live telemetry and an airbrakes system. The payload subteam is currently working on an advanced flight-computer that will provide real-time updates regarding the rocket’s velocity and altitude while airborne, while the recovery subteam is working on an airbrakes system to alter the rocket’s path autonomously as it ascends. A variety of electronic components ranging from wires and breadboards to microcontrollers and IMU sensors are currently being used for prototyping and testing, and your donation allows our hardworking engineers to afford the electronics necessary to invent and fabricate these advanced systems! Thank you for your support!
$150
Rocket Body Sections
Our rockets are designed to withstand the numerous forces present on ascent, parachute deployment, descent, and landing, without fracture, damage to internal equipment, or full separation of sections. Our structures subteam designs the aerodynamic body of the rocket and runs simulations to choose the most efficient, and safe design. This year, a combination of fiberglass and carbon fiber will be used for the rocket’s main body sections and connecting segments. Both materials are lightweight, durable, and each provides specific benefits for manufacturability. Last year, our rocket stood 12ft tall on the launch pad, and as we finalize our design this year, your donation helps us afford, resize, and fine-tune the segments to withstand a great flight! Thank you for your support!
$300
Team Travel to Texas
This year, the team is competing in the International Rocket Engineering Competition which takes place in Texas in June. The team is responsible for safely transporting team members, rocket materials, and tools and backup supplies to Texas over the course of three days by car. During the week-long competition, the team will stay in local Texas accommodation, utilizing beds, sofas, air mattresses, and sometimes the floor to sleep upwards of 15 members between competition days. Your donation allows us to afford the rental vehicles, along with midway hotel and Texas accommodation. In the past, the team has endeavored a two day journey to Alabama, and is excited to explore a new state as we participate in the IREC competition! Thank you for your support!
$500
Rocket Motors
In the past, the team has aimed for an altitude of roughly 4500 ft, which we mastered during our participation in the NASA USLI competition. This year, the IREC competition has inspired us to reach for the stars as we aim to hit 10,000 ft! Doubling our original altitude comes with many new design challenges, testing requirements, and more importantly, more powerful motors! Your generous donation will allow us to afford these high-end motors for our test flights, research, and final launch in Texas. Thank you for your support!
