Earlier this summer, the GW Rocket Team made a show-stopping appearance at the 2026 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) as its fully student-designed rocket soared to 9,784 feet. But before the launchpad lights, the team–led by captain Nick Pepple, then a junior and now a senior mechanical engineering major, and advised by Amir Barakati, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering–was up at 3am to prepare for the selective “Sunrise Salvo” launch.
At IREC, the world’s largest collegiate rocketry competition, the “Sunrise Salvo” launch is reserved for teams prepared for quick assembly so they can fly in the calm morning air for the best possible conditions. GW Rocket was one of only 40 teams to qualify from 140 teams across the world. They had been preparing for this moment since fall 2025, when they began initial design reviews, focusing on flight-ready design and efficient assembly procedures.
Coming in at over 75 lbs and 11-and-a-half feet tall, GW Engineering’s rocket is a feat of collaboration across four sub-teams: aerostructures, propulsion, avionics, and payload. Together, they procured the necessary materials and built every aspect of the rocket from scratch, including the motor and its internal solid propellant that powers it.
Manufacturing a motor is no small feat, especially for a school without a chemical engineering program, and it placed GW Rocket in the competitive 10K student research and development (SRAD) category. Because of the dangers involved in making rocket propellant, the team worked with an external industry advisor who provided them with a facility in Virginia for production. The inside of the rocket was made even more complex by three original systems they developed to enhance rocket launch, flight, and recovery.
“You can do a lot with exterior design, but I think internal projects attract more broader majors, which is something I want to be able to expand on the team,” Pepple stated.
Early last fall, GW Rocket was short on members, but by the June competition, they were 52 members strong, including 17 students from disciplines outside mechanical and aerospace engineering. The broad range of technical expertise expanded the possible projects each sub-team could create and led to the development of three original research projects: a payload system, an avionics bay, and a thermal-pressure analysis system (TPAS).
Inside the rocket, the payload system collected in-flight temperature, pressure, and altitude data, which were sent to students on the ground. Meanwhile, the TPAS monitored the motor casing specifically for deviations in temperature and pressure to inform future designs.
Between these is the avionics bay, which features an altimeter system to record the peak altitude and send signals at certain heights to ignite black powder that causes the rocket to separate and deploy the parachutes that bring it down safely. The students then use GPS in the bay to locate and retrieve the rocket.
Each of these systems was designed to be activated by a switch that could be set on the morning of the launch. This meant the only task remaining was loading the black powder, which Pepple notes is what designing for assembly means. “It’s making sure that things like the black powder can be easily input without having to take apart other parts of the rocket,” he shared.
Another unique aspect of the 2026 team was the high number of younger students, with only two senior members. Pepple coordinated with team leads to identify 10 first-years who should receive certification rocket kits to help them get up to speed and decide which team to support. These kits offered a glimpse into every aspect of building a competition rocket but on a smaller scale, as they were only about 3- to 4-feet-tall and reached 1,500 feet in the air.
The competition itself gave these students their first taste of the pace, pressure, and unpredictability of a national engineering event. For instance, although GW Rocket was ready for “Sunrise Salvo” by 7am, weather and scheduling conflicts pushed their launch to 7pm.
GW Engineering’s rocket had a strong flight profile, with its actual altitude coming very close to its predicted altitude. For the first time in Pepple’s three years on the team, they also fully recovered the rocket the next day, before they spent the rest of the competition networking and exploring Midland, Texas, where the competition was held.
“This successful launch represents far more than strong competition results. It builds on a proud legacy of achievement and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the GW Rocket Team,” Barakati said. “The experience gained this year will help shape the next generation of student leaders as they mentor new members and continue strengthening the team’s engineering capabilities.”
As team captain, Pepple noticed that when he took on the role, there was no real documentation on how the competition runs or what to expect. “Now that I have a year under my belt and I’ve already experienced it, that’s a process I’m going to really flesh out so that people who come in future years don’t have to figure it out for the first time,” he said.
Almost immediately after IREC 2026, Pepple began developing the design for next year’s competition, so the team can continue their streak of being ready to launch as soon as possible. This will also free up more time to focus on manufacturing and minor optimizations, and to expand the rocket’s capabilities through original research projects as team members collaborate.
In the 2026-2027 academic year, GW Rocket is also adding a second route for new members to learn about rocketry through a pathway team. The leadership of this team will be students being trained not only in rocket design but also in leadership. They’ll compete in April with their rocket at the Battle of the Rockets Competition’s Deployable Sensor Payload Event in Virginia, and potentially back in Texas at IREC 2027 as well.
With a culture of teamwork, technical excellence, and continuous improvement, GW Rocket has built a strong foundation for sustained success.