Utah State University Rocket Team Competes in the International Rocket Engineering Competition held in Midland, TX
The International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) is the world's largest collegiate rocket engineering competition, bringing together student teams from around the globe to design, build, and launch high-powered rockets to target altitudes of 10,000, 30,000, or 45,000 feet while carrying a 2 kg payload.
At the 2026 competition, the "Aggie Horizon" Utah State University Rocket Team successfully designed, assembled, launched, and recovered their rocket, Golden Spike. The rocket featured advanced engineering systems, including air brakes, dual-deployment recovery, a rover payload, and live video and telemetry capabilities.
Golden Spike reached an apogee of 10,658 feet—just 658 feet above its 10,000-foot target altitude—and was recovered without any damage. The team's exceptional performance earned them 10th place out of 75 teams in the 10k COTS category.
Throughout the academic year and during the competition, students gained invaluable hands-on experience by applying classroom knowledge to a real-world engineering challenge. From design and fabrication to testing, launch operations, and recovery, the project provided students with practical skills in systems engineering, teamwork, and problem-solving.
Congratulations to the Aggie Horizon team on an outstanding performance at the 2026 IREC!
The Utah State University Rocket Team, Aggie Horizon, prepares its rocket, Golden Spike, for launch at the 2026 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC).
The Utah State University Rocket Team, Aggie Horizon, prepares its rocket, Golden Spike, for launch at the 2026 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC).
The Utah State University Rocket Team, Aggie Horizon, prepares its rocket, Golden Spike, for launch at the 2026 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC).
Utah State University Aggie Horizon 2026 Rocket Team
