UKROC 2026 – Meet the Teams – Minions

In the lead up to the UKROC 2026 National Final, we’re spotlighting the teams behind the rockets! Meet Team Minions…

Intro

  • Team name – Minions
  • School/club – 230th Sheffield Air Scouts
  • Region/location – North England / Sheffield 
  • Fun fact – We’re in Year 7 and Year 8, and we love Air Scouts because we get to learn new things and take part in a wide range of activities.

Freya, Billie, Lexi, Betsy

How did you find out about UKROC?

Our Air Scouts have entered twice before so we knew about it from other Scouts who have taken part before. Also, some students from the University of Sheffield visited our Scout group and told us about their rocket team so we wanted to get involved with the competition when we knew our Scouts were entering for a third year.

What have you enjoyed most about the UKROC project?

We enjoyed getting to build and decorate our rocket.

Would you encourage other teams to enter the competition?

Yes. Its really cool to build rockets and good fun on the launch day when you get to see your rocket actually launch and shoot up into the sky.

What does the teacher/club leader think about UKROC?

UKROC perfectly complements our Air Scouts aviation, aeronautics and STEM focus. The competition challenges young people to develop vital skills in teamwork, design, presentation, and software like OpenRocket. It combines scientific concepts with hands-on building and creative decoration, every single team member can contribute to a successful outcome. Regardless of where they come in the competition, designing and building a rocket that successfully launches is a huge achievement and an incredibly exciting experience for them.

Want to share your experience? Email us ukroc@adsgroup.org.uk.

UKROC 2026 – Meet the Teams – Down to Earth

In the lead up to the UKROC 2026 National Final, we’re spotlighting the teams behind the rockets! Meet Team Down to Earth…

Intro

  • Team name – Down to Earth
  • School/club – 230th Sheffield Air Scouts
  • Region/location – North England / Sheffield 
  • Fun fact – We’re all in Year 8 and have been friends since Year 1! Even though we now go to different secondary schools, we still have the opportunity to see each other every Monday at Air Scouts.

Eva, Ellie, Lydia 

How did you find out about UKROC?

Our Scout leader found out about the competition from her children’s school and then contacted the University of Sheffield to see if they could sponsor our Air Scouts and Air Explorers to take part. Our Scout leader asked all the Scouts who wanted to participate and we put our names down.

What have you enjoyed most about the UKROC project?

We have enjoyed working together as a team and building and designing our rockets. We enjoyed doing something that we wouldn’t usually do, using OpenRocket and designing a rocket and learning how they work. We also enjoyed launching our rocket on launch day and going up to the launch pad to actually launch it on the day.

Would you encourage other teams to enter the competition?

Definitely! It is really good fun and is very exciting. It’s a great opportunity because it allows you to experience something new and learn about things you wouldn’t normally learn about in school lessons or normal Scout nights.

What does the teacher/club leader think about UKROC?

UKROC perfectly complements our Air Scouts aviation, aeronautics and STEM focus. The competition challenges young people to develop vital skills in teamwork, design, presentation, and software like OpenRocket. It combines scientific concepts with hands-on building and creative decoration, every single team member can contribute to a successful outcome. Regardless of where they come in the competition, designing and building a rocket that successfully launches is a huge achievement and an incredibly exciting experience for them.

Want to share your experience? Email us ukroc@adsgroup.org.uk.

UKROC 2026 – Meet the Teams – Normal Rocket

In the lead up to the UKROC 2026 National Final, we’re spotlighting the teams behind the rockets! Meet Team Normal Rocket…

Intro

  • Team name – Normal Rocket
  • School/club – Bellahouston Academy
  • Region/location – Scotland
  • Fun fact – We broke a whole carton of eggs during our testing that we borrowed from the Home Economics department. We had to buy them a new box…!

How did you find out about UKROC?

Our teacher, Mr Wang, was a part of the GU Rocketry Society for three years while at Glasgow University. When he started teaching he founded the Rocketry Club at Bellahouston and discovered UKROC. Bellahouston now has the most UKROC teams in Scotland!

What have you enjoyed most about the UKROC project?

  • Building something real and practical, it was cool to design something on the computers and make it in real life.
  • Getting real engineering experience, from running the aerodynamic simulations on OpenRocket, to laser cutting and 3D-printing our parts, the whole process was very engaging and practical.
  • Being competitive in a new type of way – not just for a football team or a video game, but to see who could design and build the best rocket!

Would you encourage other teams to enter the competition?

Definitely, it has been the most rewarding and fun part of the year for us. From the excitement of the rockets flying off the launch rail, to the tense moments where we had to wait to see if our parachutes deployed, the day of the regional competition was super fun, busy, and totally worth the effort.

What does the teacher/club leader think about UKROC?

It is a valuable, engaging, and intensely rewarding event to participate in. The pupils had the time of their lives seeing their project launch into the sky after the months of work to design and manufacture them.

Why did your school/club want to get involved in UKROC?

Our school wanted to get involved to give the kids a sense of accomplishment and pride with something they designed and manufactured themselves. From being part of the Uni society, I knew just how exciting it could be to build and fly your own rockets as part of a team. With so many of the team members wanting to pursue engineering after they leave school, it was important for me to give the pupils a real taste of what it’s like to engage in a practical project with real life stakes.

Want to share your experience? Email us ukroc@adsgroup.org.uk.