UKROC 2026 – Meet the Teams – FSL U6th Boys

In the lead up to the UKROC 2026 National Final, we’re shining a spotlight on the teams behind the rockets! First up – meet Team FSL U6th Boys…

Intro

  • Team name – FSL U6th Boys
  • School/club – Friends’ School Lisburn
  • Region/location – Northern Ireland
  • Fun fact – One of our favourite parts of the project was getting to carry out test launches at our Physics teacher’s farm, which gave us the chance to experiment and iterate in a real world setting.

How did you find out about UKROC?

We found out about UKROC through other teams at our school who had competed in previous years, as well as through friends who were already involved.

What have you enjoyed most about the UKROC project?

We were drawn to UKROC because it’s a fun but challenging real world application of Maths and Physics. Several of us are interested in continuing rocketry or engineering at university, so the competition felt like an authentic introduction to how these skills are used beyond school.

What have you enjoyed most about the UKROC project?

Seeing our rockets launch has been the highlight, especially knowing how much work went into the design, simulation, and construction. Using CAD tools and running simulations in OpenRocket and SolidWorks made the project feel very realistic.

What has been the biggest challenge so far, and how did you overcome it?

Balancing schoolwork alongside building the rocket was a real challenge, as was getting components like the parachute and motor systems correct. We overcame this through careful time management, lots of iteration, learning from previous teams, and making good use of test launches.

Would you encourage other teams to enter UKROC?

Yes — UKROC is very different from most school competitions. It’s hands on, genuinely challenging, and a brilliant way to apply physics practically. It does require commitment, but it’s extremely rewarding if you’re willing to put the work in.

What does the teacher / club leader think about UKROC?

He believes UKROC is an excellent opportunity for students to develop practical physics skills and to see how theory connects to real engineering problems.

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

UKROC 2025 – Meet The Teams – MOONCHEESE

In the lead up to the National Final we are doing a “Meet The Teams” series. Over to Team MOONCHEESE…

Intro

  • Team name – MOONCHEESE
  • School/club – Teignmouth Community School
  • Region/location – Devon
  • Team leader – Jake (year 8)
  • Teammates – Oliver (year 8), Jacob (year 8), Alfie (year 8), Max (year 8) and Austin (year 7)

From left to right: Austin, Jake, Oliver, Alfie, Jacob, Max

What have you enjoyed the most about UKROC?

Jake: I have enjoyed a lot about the UKROC project. Specifically, launching the rockets and seeing them launch. Some of the launches were ‘great’ to say the least… I found out about this project when I first joined rocket club in 2023, and Mr. Hawker told us about the competition. Our rocket design is based off the Ariane rocket, giving it a wider top body tube compared to the lower body tube. Our fins were changed to a trapezium shape after what I call “The 1100 Feet Incident.”

Oliver: One thing I have enjoyed about UKROC is the skills it teaches you, like how to use OpenRocket and CAD to design the parts of the rocket. This club has helped me to work better in a team.

Jacob: There are lots of things I have enjoyed about the UKROC project, one being working as a team to learn how to design and build our rockets and problem-solving. It doesn’t always go to plan, but the best bit is launching our built rocket and waiting to see if it will launch with no issues!

Alfie: This is my second year of participating in the UKROC competition and I have loved being a part of this. It has really helped my confidence and I enjoy getting to be a part of this with my friends. I have learnt a lot about building rockets and hope that we can continue to do well in the next stage of the competition.

Max: I have enjoyed the competitions the most and actually getting to see our rocket that we designed and
built doing well.

Austin: I have really enjoyed learning about the different parts of the rocket that are needed to make it successful and learning how to put it all together. My favourite moment was watching the first ever launch
of our rocket. I saw posters around my school just after I started Year 7 and really wanted to be involved in
the club. I’m the youngest in the team!

Would you encourage other teams to enter the competition?

Jake: I would definitely recommend joining Rocket Club, especially if you’re interested in rockets, science, or engineering. It’s a great opportunity to be a part of something exciting.

Oliver: I would recommend joining Rocket Club as it is fun and you are learning at the same time.

Jacob: I would definitely recommend other teams to enter. It’s my first year doing this and I have had so much fun, learnt new skills, and learnt how to use different pieces of equipment. I also had the experience of seeing other teams compete with their rockets.

Max: If it’s something you’re interested in, then I would definitely recommend it. You learn lots while having fun.

Austin: I would encourage other teams to enter the competition because it’s so fun and having more teams to compete against makes it more exciting.

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

We first became involved in UKROC through an email from one of the mentors who lived locally. I (teacher) responded because I had enjoyed making rockets with my children when they were young and thought it would be a great way to get youngsters involved with model rocketry. It’s a unique opportunity for students to apply STEM skills in a hands-on, real-world context. UKROC gives them the chance to learn design and engineering principles while experiencing the excitement of building and launching something they’ve created themselves.

What does the teacher/club leader think about UKROC?

I’ve been genuinely impressed with the impact UKROC has had on our students. They’ve developed technical skills in software like OpenRocket and Fusion 360, but just as importantly, they’ve learned how to work as a team, tackle challenges together, and stay motivated through setbacks and we have had a few of those! Watching their rockets launch — whether they go perfectly or not — is a huge moment of pride for everyone involved. UKROC gives students a reason to push themselves and shows them what they’re capable of achieving.

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

UKROC 2025 – Meet The Teams – Cassiopeia

In the lead up to the National Final we are doing a “Meet The Teams” series. Over to Team Cassiopeia…

Intro

  • Team name – Cassiopeia
  • School/club – Epsom College
  • Region/location – South East Region
  • Fun fact – We are an all-girls team.

What have you enjoyed the most about UKROC?

The team have enjoyed being able to design, build and then launch their custom-made rocket at the regional competition in March. The best bit was being able to launch the rocket and see it race up into the sky and then a nervous wait see the parachutes deploy to bring the rocket back down to Earth. The team have learnt to also use Techsoft, laser cut, 3d print and how to put a rocket together. 

How did you find out about the competition?

The school has entered for several years. Zoe took part in the competition a couple of years ago and was keen for us to form a team this year. Now we’re prepping for Nationals!

Would you encourage other teams to enter the competition?

Yes, it is great to be able to do something practical. We are all interested in engineering, and this has allowed us to design and build a rocket and put theory into practice.

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

We all love engineering and want to study STEM subjects at university. UKROC is the prefect competition to gain further experience and have a stand-out achievement on applications.

What does your teacher/club leader think about UKROC?

We have taken part in the UKROC for several years, with our best finish third place at Nationals. This competition really captures the imagination of students who love the idea of designing and building a rocket capable of launching a payload and bring it safely back down to Earth. This year team Cassiopeia have worked really hard to refine their design and following two successful flights at regional competition we hope to do well at the Nationals.

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

UKROC 2025 – Meet The Teams – Olympus

In the lead up to the National Final we are doing a “Meet The Teams” series. Over to Team Olympus…

Intro

  • Team name – Olympus
  • School/club – Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School
  • Region/location – Birmingham, West Midlands
  • Fun fact – With only enough people to sign up on the deadline, we had to start the competition with only a month to go.

What have you enjoyed the most about UKROC?

Having to work against all the odds – and succeeding. With such time pressure, we weren’t even able to do a test so everything was theoretical. On the day, after our first launch (which went well but needed improvement), one part of the rocket got stuck in a bush and we spent over an hour trying to retrieve it with various sticks. We ended up having to tear off the parachute to do so – an ordeal in itself. With no spare due to a delivery delay, it was going to get tough. Using the limited time we had available, we managed to implement the modifications we hoped, in theory, would work: tapering the fins and removing a full 80 grams from the rocket. With one shot left – and a parachute kindly loaned to us by Team Eggheads, we went out for the last launch of the day: and nailed a near perfect flight – after ignition failed twice. A real, last-minute, extra-time screamer.

Would you encourage other teams to enter the competition?

Absolutely. It’s a brilliant way to put theory to practice, solve problems under pressure, overcome unexpected challenges, and collaborate as a team – all in the spirit of good sportsmanship. A great opportunity!

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

UKROC 2025 – Meet The Teams – Star-Lings

In the lead up to the National Final we are doing a “Meet The Teams” series. Over to Team Star-Lings…

Intro

  • Team name – Star-Lings
  • School/club – Teignmouth Community School
  • Region/location – Devon
  • Team leader – Kaya (year 10)
  • Teammates – Tom (year 10), Sammy (year 9) and Keith (year 9)

From left to right: Sammy, Tom, Kaya, Keith

What have you enjoyed the most about UKROC?

Keith and Sammy: There are many things we have enjoyed about the UKROC project. We have a real passion for
designing and building our rockets and learning invaluable skills that we can take with us through our lives. Not only this, but we have been a part of a community and have built lasting friendships.

Tom: Something I have enjoyed about the UKROC project is the excitement of launching the rockets and the countdown that leads up to the launch. It is exciting because rockets are unpredictable, we can’t say for certain that the rocket will be successful and we definitely cannot predict the direction it will go!

Would you encourage other teams to enter the competition?

Keith and Sammy: We would encourage other teams to enter the competition as it has given us a lot more confidence. Despite not having the biggest budget, and only a couple of years’ experience, we are proud of all of our success. It also gives us the opportunity to learn new skills and we get to use 3D printers and laser cutters!

Tom: The club has helped with my understanding of rocketry and science. Lots of children have dreams of being a rocket scientist, this helps to make these dreams a reality and clubs like this show us that we can do these things when we are older.

Kaya: I would if highly recommend joining a rocket club, especially if you are particularly interested in physics and astronomy. Take the opportunity to be a part of something amazing and broaden your future career prospects.

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

UKROC 2025 – Meet The Teams – ARChers and ARCana

In the lead up to the National Final we are doing a “Meet The Teams” series. Over to Ampleforth College with Team ARChers and Team ARCana…

Intro

  • Team name – ARChers
  • School/club – Ampleforth College Rocket Club
  • Region/location – North Yorkshire
  • Fun fact – This is the third year the rocket club has competed.
  • Team name – ARCana
  • School/club – Ampleforth College Rocket Club
  • Region/location – North Yorkshire
  • Fun fact – This is the third year the rocket club has competed.

How did you find out about the competition?

The original ARChers team name has been carried through from year to year as at least one member of the team has stayed on. In 2023 the team discovered UKROC but never made it past the regionals. They were so excited by the competition that they were hassling UKROC for the next year’s mission and rules before it was even issued.

There were two teams in 2024 and the ARChers not only managed to get through to the Nationals but also win at the International event at Farnborough International Airshow.

Only the youngest member of the team, Freddie, remained at school at the start of this academic year but has clearly been learning loads from the older students. This year, with some other friends, he achieved an impressive score of 9.3 at the regional heats. This is the power of the competition, it brings students from different year groups together to learn some impressive engineering knowledge but also the engineering project approaches including simulations, teamwork and iterations (trial and error).

The ARCana team is an interesting bunch of Year 13 students who are all destined to study some form of STEM degree, from Physics to Chemical Engineering. Their enthusiasm for the competition was based on the success of the previous year group and recognition of the value of applying their academic learning to projects as part of their applications to top class universities. They proudly wore their rocket club badges at interview and included references to what they have been learning in the UCAS statements.

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

The first club was started to manage the passion of one particular student to launch things around the school site! This included javelin, trebuchets, slingshots and all manner of other quite hazardous devices. The plan was to manage this through a safely organised school sanctioned activity with a suitable staff member (Head of Design and Technology and engineer) overseeing the safety.

What does your teacher/club leader think about UKROC?

As the Head of Design and Technology and engineer at the college all I have to do is give oversight; the students are completely self-managed, self-taught and very independent. I look after the safety, the finances and supervise the weekly activity slot. I can guide them as they CAD nose cones, lay-up carbon fibre fins or 3D print motor casings but have learnt about the rockets and simulators along the way, alongside the students. This has to be the most effective STEM activity I have lead in 30 years of teaching in terms of developing engineering knowledge, skills and approaches.

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

UKROC 2025 – Meet The Teams – LIFT Allstars

In the lead up to the National Final we are doing a “Meet The Teams” series. Over to Team LIFT Allstars…

Intro

  • Team name – LIFT Allstars
  • School/club – Tendring Technology College Rocket Club
  • Region/location – Thorpe Le-Soken, Essex, South East Region
  • Fun fact – This is our first time entering the competition and we can’t believe how many rockets failed or exploded. 

What have you enjoyed the most about UKROC?

The students have had a chance to grow and develop their passion for STEM. The engagement through designing, developing and building their rocket has all contributed to this.

How did you find out about the competition?

We had been searching online for any STEM projects you could as a school. This was when we found the competition.

Would you encourage other teams to enter the competition?

Absolutely! There has been a real buzz around the school which has resulted in other students wanting to get involved in STEM activities for next year.

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

Our after school STEM club needed to be re-launched. It had gone many years of no after school STEM provision. UKROC seemed an easy and accessible STEM activity to start it back up.

What does your teacher/club leader think about UKROC?

Our school has fully embraced the UKROC and our success. Due to our success, the school is starting an outreach STEM programme with our feeder primaries centred around UKROC and rocketry. We have also built closer ties to the local community charitable trust and engineering companies who kindly donated money to the rocket costs.

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