CEDAR CITY, Utah—The small hobby rocket kits that many kids built at home and launched into the sky have come a long way since the early days of model rocketry.
On June 27, RCS Rocket Motor Components (RCS), the world’s largest producer of solid composite propellant hobby rocket motors, celebrated the opening of its new world headquarters, museum, and store in Cedar City, Utah, with plans to carry the consumer and aerospace industry even higher with technology innovation.
“As we dedicate this facility today, we are not just opening the doors to a new building. We are opening the doors to new opportunities, innovations, and new possibilities,” said Gary Rosenfield, president and founder of RCS in 1982.
“Our Museum of Composite Propellant Hobby Rocketry does not simply pay homage to those who have gone before us. It is a living history that will educate and inspire the next generations of rocketry enthusiasts.”
The new 18,000-square-foot building will house 39 employees for the company’s consumer hobby divisions: AeroTech and Quest.
RCS is a global pioneer in the development of advanced Reloadable and Disposable Motor Systems for model rocketry. The company also produces industrial-grade solid propulsion systems for the aerospace industry and military applications, such as the U.S. Army’s Patriot missiles and “drone killer” missiles.
Other RCS projects include the Super Loki and Viper IIIA sounding rocket motors and the Viper-V motor for the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) program.
RCS also produced the fin motors of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus, the igniter motors of the Virgin Galactic Spaceship II, and NASA’s 37 spin motor.
As RCS’s founder, Mr. Rosenfield drew inspiration from designing and flying model rockets in his youth—a passion that continues to this day.
“When a young rocketeer or student launches one of our composite propellant model rocket motors, they are using the same family of aerospace grade solid composite propellant as NASA’s space shuttle boosters, military missiles, sounding rockets, and NASA’s new SLS moon rocket boosters,” said Dane Boles, RCS executive vice president and general manager.
RCS Vice President and CFO Candy Klaybourne said the company’s new headquarters “is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of our incredible team.”
“This extended facility is not just a symbol of our growth but a promise to our commitment to innovation, excellence, and the well-being of our employees and our community. Together, we will achieve great things,” she said.
“This allows us to be innovative—whether it’s a hobby, whether it’s something for science, whether it’s international events,” said RCS operations manager Robert Behunin.
According to Verified Market Reports, the value of the model rocket industry size was $100 billion in 2023. Analysts project the market will reach $648 billion by 2030 at 30 percent growth each year.
Inside the new RCS facility, a working full-size replica of the Patriot missile stands next to an American flag as an emblem of the company’s innovation.
“And it flies. And it flies on our motors,” Mr. Boles said.
Dan Michael, AeroTech’s East Coast service and promotional representative, built the rocket based on earlier working scale models.
“That rocket is a full-scale Patriot. It weighs 600 pounds at the [launch] pad,” Mr. Michael told a gathering at the June 27 dedication. “As it sits here, it’s about 370 pounds.”
Model Rocket Kit
Bob Sanford is the designer of AeroTech’s flagship introductory model rocket kit called the “Initiator.”A three-story counterpart of the model rocket stands outside the new facility to greet the public.
“Where did we get the name? It’s quite interesting,” Mr. Sanford said as he shared the rocket’s story of development.
“It all goes back to November of 1979” when he worked at another hobby rocket company in Phoenix, Arizona. The idea came to him one night as he was at home fixing dinner.
“I turned on the TV set, looking for something to watch. I came across a movie that just started. That movie was ‘Animal House.’
“I started watching and thinking, ‘Wait a second. Fraternities have initiations. We should call our rocket the ’Initiator.'”
The company’s management team liked the name, and said, “Initiator it is,” Mr. Sanford said.
“To be honest, if it weren’t for [Animal House character] John Belushi, that rocket would have a different name,” he said.
During the grand opening ceremony, Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox shared a video message praising the company’s facility expansion.
“The RCS story is a compelling one—one we are familiar with in rural Utah,” Mr. Cox said.
“RCS rocket systems are sought after for strategic, tactical, and research single-purpose capabilities by the U.S. military and space exploration,” he said. Working with education—“STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) in particular”—RCS “has inspired thousands of young people, and adults, to pursue their dreams in science and technology, education, math, and manufacturing.”
Lee Piester, founder of Centuri Engineering, a world-renowned maker of solid propellant model rocket kits from 1961 to 1989, reflected on the early days of composite propellant model and hobby rocketry.
He said the new museum at RCS will help to preserve the beloved history of the hobby rocket industry.
“We need a caretaker for many of the developments we’ve all grown up with,” said Mr. Piester, recalling the 1950s space race between the U.S. and Soviet Union to develop the first orbital satellite.
“We were inspired by it. We, as young kids, wanted to emulate the scientists. We all wanted to be rocket engineers. For a long time, we didn’t have the materials.”
Jim Gardner said he traveled from St. George, Utah, to Cedar City to witness the historic unveiling of the new RCS facility.
But more than that, he wanted to see the museum displays of the model rockets he knew and experimented with in his youth.
“I remember my teacher wanting me to bring one” to show the class, Mr. Gardner told The Epoch Times. “I used to build Estes [brand] rockets—just the smaller ones. I can’t even remember their names.
“I’m still interested in rockets. Just recently, my grandkids and I made sugar-propelled rockets together. It’s amazing what progress [RCS] has made and brought to the industry. It’s the same excitement I had when I was a kid.”
