Our parents and friends might tell us to aim for the stars. But few of us actually do. For a group of select students at the University of Texas, that lofty goal isn't so far off.
The nonprofit arm of Firefly Aerospace, a Cedar Park-based rocket company, is teaming up with the University of Texas to create Firefly@UT.
The $1 million rocket-building program will give students from across the university a shot at designing, testing and launching a full-scale, liquid-fueled rocket that could bring a small satellite to the edge of space. The 30-foot rocket will go up to about 10,000 kilometers (62 miles), which is the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space and is also known as the Kármán line.
“Combined with our Longhorn Rocketry Association, which familiarizes students with industry-standard design processes and small-scale rockets, Firefly@UT will enable us to provide students with a broader understanding of rocket design and assembly," Noel Clemens, chair of the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, said in a news release. "As a result, our graduates will leave the Forty Acres fully prepared to make an immediate impact in industry.”
Aerospace professor Philip Varghese will be the faculty advisor for the teams, and members of Firefly Aerospace's team will mentor and assist students throughout their rocket-building journey.
The organization will work out of a 1,000-square-foot Texas Rocket Engineering Lab, which was revealed earlier this week at UT. But that won't be enough space to assemble the full rocket. The teams will complete the full rocket at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus in North Austin in 2021.
Then, they plan to enter their rocket in the 2021 Base 11 Space Challenge, which could lead to a $1 million prize to re-fuel UT's partnership with Firefly.
“Space is the future of our economy,” Firefly Aerospace CEO Tom Markusic said. “With Firefly@UT, we want to help students develop a passion for rocket engineering and learn how to conceptualize designs and work with real materials. These are important skills and experiences that will set them apart in an increasingly competitive recruiting environment."
