Record UK Youth Rocketry Challenge sees Teignmouth Community School crowned national champions

  • Students from Teignmouth Community School in Devon claim victory at this year’s UK Youth Rocketry Challenge (UKROC).
  • This year’s competition brought together a record 166 teams from 86 schools across the UK, representing a 54% increase in participation compared to last year.
  • As UK champions, the ‘Star Lings’ team will now represent the UK at the International Youth Rocketry Final which will be held at Paris Air Show in June.

Grantham– Following the best-attended competition in its nearly 20-year history, Teignmouth Community School’s ‘Star Lings’ have been crowned the winners of this year’s UK Youth Rocketry Challenge.

Organised by ADS, the trade association for the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors, this competition sees teams of students aged 11-18 design, build and launch a model rocket carrying a precious payload – an egg.

Sponsored by industry partners Airbus and Lockheed Martin – along with funding support from the UK Space Agency, this year’s competition welcomed 166 teams from 86 schools across the UK. This represents a 54% increase from the 2024 competition. State school attendance was also the highest in the competition’s history, making up 63% of school participation, which increased by 10% from the previous year.

As part of the competition, teams also presented to the judges, showcasing the unique design and construction of their rockets, sharing insights from testing phases, and reflecting on their overall experience in the UK Youth Rocketry Challenge.

The ‘Star Lings’ will now refine their rocket before heading to Paris to represent the UK in a fly off against international teams from the USA, Japan, and France at the 2025 edition of Paris Air Show.

Kevin Craven, CEO of ADS said: 

“A huge congratulations to Teignmouth Community School’s ‘Star Lings’ for their impressive victory and indeed all the schools that took part in this year’s fiercely contested competition. For nearly two decades, UKROC has inspired thousands of young people to explore exciting opportunities in aerospace, defence, and space. It’s about more than building rockets – it’s about building futures. For this year, we are especially proud to see record levels of participation from state schools, helping to make STEM accessible to more students than ever before.”

Kata Escott, Managing Director at Airbus Defence and Space, and ADS VP for Space, commented:

“This year’s competition has been a brilliant display of the creativity and innovation of young minds across the UK. Airbus is delighted to support initiatives that not only celebrate innovation but also inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists. Congratulations to the Star Lings on their well-earned win, and to all the teams who took part in this fantastic event.”

The results:

About the Youth Rocketry Challenge  

The UK Youth Rocketry Challenge (UKROC) is a national competition for young people aged 11 – 18 from any secondary schools, colleges, educational facilities or youth groups to design, build and launch a model rocket with a fragile payload. The competition is designed to encourage creativity, innovative thinking and appeal to young people interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and inspire them to consider fascinating careers in the aerospace, defence and space industries.

UKROC 2025 is the largest and most in-demand event in the competition’s history.

The national champions will win an all-expenses paid trip to Paris to represent the UK in a fly off against international teams from the USA, Japan, and France at the 2025 edition of Paris Airshow.

If you’d like to find out more about UKROC, please visit the website: www.ukroc.com

UK retains International Youth Rocketry Championship Title

  • The UK Youth Rocketry Champions, Ampleforth College Rocket Club, have won the international edition of the competition, marking the UK’s second consecutive victory. 
  • The competition, held at Farnborough International Airshow, took place between France, Japan, the UK and the US  
  • The competition is strongly supported by the aerospace and defence industry as a part of combatting the significant skills shortages they face. 

Farnborough International Airshow (26 July 2024) – A team of students from Ampleforth College in Yorkshire has beaten teams from Japan, the USA and France to add the title of International Youth Rocketry Champions to their status at the UK Champions. 

The UK’s participation in the competition is facilitated by ADS, the trade association for the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors, to support STEM engagement in schools. A team from each country is tasked with designing, building and launching a model rocket to carry a fragile payload: a raw egg. 

The UK competition, and the UK’s participation in the international final, is sponsored by Airbus and Lockheed Martin. This is a prime example of industry giving their support to creating the next generation of STEM professionals. 

Skills shortages in STEM are a serious challenge for the UK economy, with the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors consistently reporting over 10,000 vacancies across their businesses. Furthermore, a July 2024 survey of ADS members found that recruitment is the area that the joint highest proportion of businesses plan to invest in or have already invested in across 2024. 

The event took place as part of Farnborough International Airshow’s Pioneers of Tomorrow, a day of the prestigious airshow dedicated to STEM-focused events designed to inspire and engage the next generation of aerospace leaders.   

Kevin Craven, CEO of ADS said: 

“Congratulations to Ampleforth College Rocket Club on their amazing victory, the second year in a row as international champions for the UK. The UK Youth Rocketry and International Youth Rocketry Challenges are fantastic examples of how our sectors are committed to encouraging young people across the UK into STEM careers. We touch more than 5000 young people globally with the Rocketry Competition and it is desperately important as our sectors continue to face significant skills shortages that hold back our ability to provide high skill, high productivity jobs for the economy. That is a challenge industry cannot solve alone, despite great initiatives like this. We must have partnership and adequate support from Government to unlock our full economic potential.” 

Matt Archer, Launch Director at the UK Space Agency, said: 

“As we countdown to the first vertical rocket launch from UK soil later this year, it is more important than ever for the whole of the space industry to be proactive in our support for the next generation of STEM professionals. A strong pipeline of talent is vital for our plans to grow this sector, and competitions like this play a significant role in giving students the chance to learn and to showcase their skills and ideas. Congratulations to Ampleforth College Rocket Club on becoming international champions.” 

UK Youth Rocketry Challenge final back with a blast

On Thursday 7 October 2021, six teams from across the country went head-to-head in a final to be crowned national champions. All they had to do was to design, build and launch a model rocket carrying a fragile payload (usually a raw egg) which is brought back to the ground safely and without breaking! It’s an opportunity for young people to get engaged in STEM in a fun and exciting way.

  • 1st Place: Team Vesuvius from King Edwards School, Bath
  • 2nd Place: Team NHASA from North Halifax Grammar School
  • 3rd Place: Team Icarus from Epsom College.

The honourable finalists were:

  • Physics Nerds from NHGS
  • Gordonstoun Rocketeers from Gordonstoun School
  • Where are My Engines, Holt? from Tiffin School

Congratulations and thanks to our sponsors Lockheed Martin and Royal Aeronautical Society for supporting the event.