RPI students working to launch rocket into space

RPI rocket team ascends to new heights

A team of RPI aerospace engineering students is trying to do what no other college rocket team has done – send a rocket into outer space.

The RPI rocket team is trying to send a rocket into space.

The students design, fabricate, and test the rocket themselves.

They are guided by mentors at the school, but the legwork is accomplished by the students.

“We’re starting small, we’re doing little subscale tests here and there to work our way up, so that we know that everything works along the way and we’re not wasting money,” said Katelyn Morgan, a sophomore. “So this rocket was a huge part of that test.”

Part of the challenge, she said, is that the lower part of the earth’s atmosphere is very dense. That makes it difficult for the rockets to break through.

Take a look at some of what’s been built so far, by watching the video of NewsChannel 13 Photojournalist Bill Webster’s story.