Lovett Rocketry Club Shoots for the Stars

The Lovett Rocketry Club is only in its second year, but its members have some out-of-this-world goals.

During the Spring 2024 semester, the small but mighty Rocketry team built a fully-functional rocket with the hopes of competing in The American Rocketry Challenge. It is the largest student rocket competition in the world, challenging high school teams to design, build, and launch rockets to specific targets.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for people who are interested in aerospace engineering to actually get involved and get some experience in the subject,” said Sophomore Andrew Zverkov, founder and president of the Lovett Rocketry Club. 

The Rocketry Club completed qualification flights for The American Rocketry Challenge, launching its newly-designed rocket 757 feet into the air from Conley-Oakley Field on Lovett’s campus. While the team did not qualify for the competition this year, they say they feel even more prepared to design a bigger and better rocket in the coming months.

"I think the students learned a lot,” said Lovett Engineering Teacher and Rocketry Club Sponsor Ethan Greenberg. “They now know they need a longer trial period so they can have the time to troubleshoot and improve on designs.”

The Lovett Rocketry Club will spend the next year building and testing a new rocket to submit into the competition in Spring 2025. They will start by creating models, running simulation tests, and ultimately designing a rocket that can be launched hundreds of feet into the air. Some members of the team are also working to get their Level 1 Junior High Powered Rocketry Certification, which would allow them to use more advanced engines. Rocketry Club member Muhumed Farid says being involved in the club is giving him real-world experience that is setting him up for success down the road.

"I was inspired to join because I have an interest in aerospace engineering,” said Farid. “It’s preparing me for a future career because it shows me how I could implement science and mathematics to achieve a practical goal.”

By Anna Keller

The Lovett Rocketry Club's qualification flight for The American Rocketry Challenge.