MARANA, Ariz.—The sky was a magnificent blue and spectator anticipation was high as Jeff Black prepared to launch his high-powered model rocket in the Arizona desert.
Even from a safe distance, the rocket looked like a giant matchstick—a red nose cone with a white body tube and black stabilizer fins. Then, a split second after the final countdown—whoosh! There was lift-off.
With a piercing hiss, the solid-fuel rocket vaulted higher and faster into the ether on a column of white smoke and exhaust.
Spectators clapped their hands when the rocket’s parachute finally deployed, slowing the vehicle’s descent from over 1,200 feet until it softly kissed the ground.
“I’ve been flying since I was a kid,” Mr. Black told The Epoch Times. “On Christmas, I‘d see all these gift-wrapping tubes and think, ’That would make a great rocket.'”
As SARA treasurer, Mr. Black has launched all kinds of rockets over the years, from introductory to advanced and high-powered models.
The AeroTech-branded kit he was flying today was a scaled version of an actual rocket, with a tiny digital camera installed to record the flight.
“The propellant in this rocket is the same propellant used in the Space Shuttle,” Mr. Black said. “You get the big ‘wow’ factor.”
The more technically-evolved hobby model rockets include sophisticated electronic add-ons, such as GPS devices, speed and altitude gauges, and telemetry monitors—all made possible by computer software programs and smartphone applications.
Mr. Black said that today’s high-powered rockets are larger and faster and go much higher. Many have composite materials in their construction, advanced solid-fuel propellants, and electronic guidance systems.
Then, there are the experimental model rockets—the “Top Guns” of the amateur rocketry world.
He said there is now a significant overlap between the commercial hobby and public/private aerospace sectors.
“There are so few hobbies where you can go to your garage, build something, and go into the desert and fly something that goes 1,000 miles an hour,” Mr. Chanes told The Epoch Times. “No drag race car is going to do that.”
Tripoli is one of the leading international hobby rocketry associations. It supports experimental rocketry projects using both solid and liquid fuel propellants and even 3D-printed designs.
Think college-level innovation—projects that reflect creative thinking and bold designs, materials, and propulsion systems, Mr. Chanes said.
“We see many examples of how the hobby and commercial infrastructure has supported the [aerospace] industry in a wide variety of ways,” he said.
“Now, we’re seeing GoPros with 4K HD video” attached to hobby rockets, which benefit from rapidly advancing miniaturized technology.
“I’ve personally flown rockets over 300 pounds,” he said, “hobby rockets in the 500 to 1,500 hundred pound range—right at the limit.”
Rocketry Competitions
Spaceport America, the world’s largest intercollegiate rocketry competition, just completed its 2024 Spaceport America Cup in June, highlighting the technical skills of 152 teams of rocketry enthusiasts from around the world.“Being able to directly impact the future members of the space and aerospace workforce is something we are proud of, and we can’t wait to see the growth opportunities that await our organizations in 2024,” Spaceport America Executive Director Scott McLaughlin said in a press release.
Spaceport America is the first FAA-licensed commercial spaceport in the United States. It sits on 18,000 acres next to the U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico.
The complex has been launching vehicles into space, defined by the U.S. military as 50 miles above the Earth, since 2007.
The highest altitude launch was achieved by UP Aerospace, reaching an altitude of 77.25 miles in 2014.
Hobby model rocketry is a fast-growing industry, earning $100 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $648 billion by 2030, according to commercial analyst Verified Market Reports.
The company notes that the model rocket industry is important for education because it “provides a practical means of imparting physics, aerodynamics, and engineering concepts.”
“In addition, it offers devotees a fun pastime that blends imagination, curiosity about science, and a feeling of accomplishment,” the website says.
“Technology integration, including telemetry and onboard cameras, is becoming more and more important as the market develops in order to improve fans’ overall experience.”
A ‘Born-Again Rocketeer’
SARA member Terry Gilpin describes himself as a model “rocket nut” who started flying rockets as a kid in the 1960s, temporarily left the hobby, and then got back into it years later.“There’s a term. When you first start, you’re a rocketeer. When you get out of it and come back, you’re a born-again rocketeer,” Mr. Gilpin said.
“There’s all kinds [of rockets]. There are typical cardboard-type rockets. This one is a carbon fiber rocket,” Mr. Gilpin said. “Some people have cameras on them taking pictures. A lot of these have GPS trackers on them.”
Holding up a scale model rocket, he said, “This one goes about 1,300 feet. It’s more a matter of looks than high performance. All of it’s solid fuel. Liquid is tricky.”
And as every hobby model rocketeer eventually will discover, “You don’t realize how high your rocket goes until you have to chase it,” he said. “I’m a low and slow man.”
SARA member Bradley Swainston of Mesa, Arizona, was working at a table on a homemade project. He was hoping to earn his Level 2 club certification to launch high-powered solid-fuel rockets according to FAA rules.
“My uncle first brought me out to shoot little rockets. They’ve gotten bigger ever since,” Mr. Swainston told The Epoch Times.
“I have about 30 others—smaller ones to bigger ones. Taller ones to homemade ones,” Mr. Swainston said. “I like to show my family mostly what I can do.”
The rocket he’s building is 79 inches tall and made of a composite material.
When it’s finished, he'll fit it with an AeroTech reloadable solid-fuel motor capable of blasting the rocket 1,800 feet into the sky under optimal conditions.
SARA member Dan Pate said he has been flying model rockets since he was a boy in the mid-1960s, drawn by the spirit of space exploration.
“It’s the flames, the smoke, the ‘wow’ factor” that never wears off, Mr. Pate told The Epoch Times.
“I was a junior in high school,” he said. “Somebody brought in a rocketry catalog. Estes was a big company then. I said, ‘Oh, that looks neat. Hey, mom? Would you be interested in helping me out?’”
“I think it’s just an interest in science,” Mr. Pate said regarding the popular fascination with model rocketry. Though “everybody is different.”
“Some make their fuel but it’s a special area of the hobby,” and riskier, he said. “I’ve grown attached to my fingers.”
Insane Rockets is a smartphone application that records video and data and tracks landing locations when installed in high-powered rockets, he said.
Open Rocket is another computer software program that allows model rocketeers to design and simulate their projects before flying them.
“Your phone is actually in your rocket,” Mr. Thompson said. “The limit [of the hobby] is your imagination.
Pursuing Their Passion
He said many amateur rocket builders and hobbyists go on to pursue their passion working in any number of private aerospace companies, like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, and SpaceDev.
Founded in 2017, Firefly Aerospace builds rockets made of composite structures with patented propulsion technology.
The company has partnered with NASA and Rideshare to build a lunar lander set to launch in 2026.
“I think the cool thing about the [model rocket] hobby is it gives the opportunity for other companies to start—to become more serious,” Mr. Thompson told The Epoch Times.
“There’s more collaboration. If somebody has a problem, they reach out to somebody else.”
Mr. Thompson said private innovation also “puts pressure on NASA to realize commercial companies actually do know what they’re doing.”
“And they can do it better and cheaper than the government bureaucracy but that’s just my personal opinion.”
Mr. Chanes said organizations like Tripoli and the NAR help “tie the knot” between enthusiastic and talented students and aerospace employers.
He sees a critical shortage of qualified aerospace engineers now and in the years ahead.
The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that there are 435,506 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) degree holders in the United States. Roughly two-thirds—266,449—are males and 169,057 females.
Model rocketry helps to fill the technical gap with new ideas and talent, Mr. Chanes said.
“They’re going to be getting students who aren’t just book smart but also are out here flying rockets and learning new things—whether that is advanced electronics, aerodynamics, or analysis,” he said.
“Our organization provides a safety net and backbone resource set for tying students to other mentors and professionals in the industry.”
As commercial and home-made model rockets become more powerful and sophisticated, Mr. Chanes said, the day will come when they reach outer space.
Mr. Chanes said that some hobbyists are content flying less expensive rockets at lower altitudes. Others continue to push the envelope, seeking to go higher with more powerful rockets filled with electronic gadgetry.
“The altitudes will get higher. The reliability of the vehicles will get higher. We’re just going to see a lot more access to those altitudes.
“But orbit is still a very far leap,” he said.
