We hope everyone is doing well. Although we have focused on our UAV competition division for years, we have recently expanded to include a rocketry division which participated in a competition held by Launch Canada. Representing UBC Okanagan at the esteemed Launch Canada competition was a dream realized for our club, a testament to our dedication and passion for aerospace engineering. Though our mission faced an unexpected hiccup, the experience was nothing short of transformative. It gave us a unique vantage point to witness the ingenuity of fellow participants, leaving us grateful for the opportunity to partake in this extraordinary event.
Adversity is an inherent part of any ambitious endeavour. Despite all our careful planning, we had a technical issue that made us call off the launch with less than a minute to ignition. Working with our industry partners, we are on track to launch in early 2024 as we make flight-critical upgrades and continue testing our system.
Even though our launch didn’t go as planned, the competition itself was a blast. We got to see different design techniques and innovative technology projects from other teams. Each group brought their own expertise, showing just how many unique ways there are to tackle aerospace engineering. The friendly vibe among everyone made it feel like we were all in it together.
Looking back on this journey, we’re filled with gratitude. Teaming up with others who share our passion, pushing our limits, and learning from both the highs and lows—it’s something we cherish. This whole experience didn’t just make us better at the technical design and execution of a student-designed project but showed how well we can work together, even when things aren’t going our way. It showed us the power of bouncing back and never giving up.
Out of 7 teams that were planning to launch hybrid rockets, only one team was successful at launching. The category we entered is arguably one of the harder areas of rockets. Judges and our competitors all congratulated us on making it this far with a substantially smaller team and budget than all other teams. This experience has highlighted the resilience of our club and celebrated the shared pursuit of knowledge and innovation. We leave this competition with hearts full of thanks for the opportunity and a renewed passion for high-power rocketry to keep pushing the boundaries of aerospace engineering. This setback was just a little detour on a journey that’s bound to be filled with even bigger wins. Together, we’re soaring to new heights. 