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International Rocket Engineering Competition 2025


The culmination of a year of hard work, Shenandoah Sunrise rose into the sky above Texas on a warm June afternoon. WVUER’s most recent competition entry had been through a rocky design and build process, with hurdles thrown at nearly every step along the way. Even so, all the subsystems ultimately overcame every setback and came together to form one of the most successful rockets at IREC this year. 

Just about everything on the rocket was researched, designed, and manufactured by students in WVUER. Shenandoah Sunrise also incorporated important lessons learned from last year’s competition entry, Miner’s Lady, which met an untimely demise in-flight. Using laid-up composite for the airframe tubes, the core aerostructure was ready to take on any force. The fins were meticulously crafted from fiberglass and carbon fiber and carefully placed and reinforced on the rocket airframe so as to almost completely eliminate any off-axis aerodynamic forces. Shenandoah Sunrise was originally to be propelled by a powerful O4200 solid rocket motor, but problems with manufacturing motor hardware arose which made the motor unachievable to make before the rocket’s test flight in March. Shenandoah Sunrise’s entry into the 30k SRAD category at IREC was put into jeopardy, but because of the generosity of a WVUER alumnus who provided his own spare hardware, the rocket could continue in the 30k SRAD category using a well-proven motor design dating back several years. Shenandoah Sunrise’s payload featured live-transmitting video, allowing on-board visuals streamed right to a ground station as the rocket is in the air. Shenandoah Sunrise also featured a new development in WVUER history: the first flight using a home-made parachute. The rocket’s drogue chute was assembled and stitched together by students using nylon fabric and nylon shroud lines. 

By the end of the Spring semester, Shenandoah Sunrise had assembled all necessary components and proven itself in a test flight in Argonia, Kansas. It was only a short while until June, when everything was packed up and sent to Midland, Texas. After settling into Midland, the team took the rocket to present to the IREC judges, who gave the green light to launch at the first opportunity. The team rolled into the desert in the afternoon, as a large storm the previous day had interfered with the expected launch schedule. The rocket was prepped quickly and was promptly sent through range safety. Shenandoah Sunrise was loaded onto the rail at the two-stage pad, as the longer launch rails at these pads provided more comfortable margins for rail departure. After a few hours of waiting, the time finally came to send the rocket up. After a countdown, Shenandoah Sunrise ascended rapidly, with a perfectly straight smoke trail. After leaving sight, the rocket reached apogee and descended under parachute. Several miles away, the rocket was recovered intact and taken back for judging. 

Shenandoah Sunrise achieved several notable successes during its flight. First of all, it launched and recovered as intended with no damage to any components, something that can’t be said about all rockets. The work put into simulations and apogee prediction also paid off, as the rocket only ended up flying 309 feet lower than the expected apogee of 31,550 feet. That is a 0.98% error. Onboard video also showed that the rocket barely rotated at all between the ground and apogee, a testament to the precision work done on the aerostructures. 

The passion, persistence, quality, and hard work of WVUER propelled Shenandoah Sunrise to win 1st place in the 30k SRAD category for IREC 2025. This past June and indeed this past year saw a remarkable performance from the team. The members are all excited about this victory, and they are excited still for what is to come next for WVUER. 

Joseph Long 
Tripoli #25585 
Secretary, WVU Experimental Rocketry 

The successes of WVUER would not have been possible without the generosity of the team’s sponsors and the help of the team’s advisors: Dr. Joseph Pscolka and Dr. Patrick Browning. We would also like to thank WVUER alumnus Joey Shepard for lending his motor hardware, helping us keep our shot at 30k SRAD. We cannot thank them enough, and we look forward to working with them again for future projects.