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The Quarry Lane School Golden Gate Rocket team is traveling to Washington, DC for National Finals of the American Rocketry Challenge.
Quarry Lane School, Community Contributor
|Updated Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 4:04 pm PT
The Golden Gate Rocket Labs team comprised of Quarry Lane students, Andrew Truong, Austin Overholt (grade 11) , Jesse Wu 9 (grade 9), and Ryan Wong (grade 12), has qualified to compete in the National Finals of the 23rd annual American Rocketry Challenge – the world’s largest student rocket competition. Out of 1,001 teams that competed nationwide, the team is one of 100 teams from across the country to earn a spot in the Finals and compete for the title of National Champion. The National Finals will take place on Saturday, May 17 in The Plains, Virginia, 45 miles outside Washington, DC.
Sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, the National Association of Rocketry, and more than 15 industry, government, and academic partners, the American Rocketry Challenge is the aerospace and defense industry’s flagship program designed to encourage students to pursue study and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The competition challenges middle and high school students to design, build and fly a rocket that meets specific altitude and flight duration parameters.
American Rocketry Challenge alumni are working across industry - among them is NASA astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg, who competed in the National Finals of the first-ever American Rocketry Challenge in 2002. In 2023, Hoburg launched into space as the Pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station.
This year's rules required teams to design, build, and launch model rockets that could safely carry two raw eggs to an altitude of 790 feet, stay airborne for between 41 and 44 seconds, and return the rocket to the ground safely. This year’s cutoff to qualify was 28.6.
The Golden Gate Rocket Labs team soared past the competition with a remarkable score of 15.4
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“After three years of hard work and so many obstacles, we never gave up—and we finally made it to the National Finals. From weather delays and motor shortages to losing part of our rocket during testing, this season threw everything at us. But in the end, our persistence paid off.” – Andrew Truong, Team Captain
The team will compete for more than $100,000 in cash and prizes, along with the title of National Champion, which includes a chance to represent the United States at the International Rocketry Challenge in June. They hope to place in the top 25 which will automatically earn them spots in NASA’s Student Launch Initiative to continue their exploration of rocketry with high-powered rockets and challenging mission parameters.
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