The sky is not the limit for the University of Sheffield’s rocketry team, who hope to break altitude records, and send their rocket to space.
On Sunday 11 May, Project Sunride ended their test rocket’s launch campaign on a high, successfully launching the mock version of their rocket, Karman Charlie, for the fifth time.
In June, Sunride will be heading to the Mojave Desert, California, to launch Karman Charlie in hopes of breaking the UK altitude record for students. The current record was set in 2019 at 36,274ft, and Karman Charlie is expected to reach an impressive 145,000ft.
This was the third launch of Karman Charlie as a two-stage rocket, and all three launches returned to land with no damage sustained. This marked their most successful launch campaign for the Karman Series, following Karman Alpha and Bravo.
Alyssa Parris, Director of Project Sunride, said: “I’m so proud of our Karman Series team and their hard work throughout their test campaign. I’m feeling very optimistic for the upcoming launch in America.
“Our launch crew is well-rehearsed and I can’t wait to experience what I’m sure will be an incredible flight.”
Sunride could become the second student team globally to send a rocket to space, following the University of Southern California, and be the first student team ever to send a two-stage rocket into space.
Merlin Reeves-Dyer, the Karman Series Team Lead, said: “I am lucky enough to have gone to America for Karman Alpha and Karman Bravo, and I feel like Karman Charlie has the best chance of success. Third time’s the charm.”
Since 2023, the goal of the project has been to pass the ‘Kármán Line’, the boundary between the Earth’s atmosphere and space, and they are hopeful to get their rocket to space within the next year.
The official rocket will be 16 times more powerful than the mocks, with stronger motors and metal components that could not be flown in the UK due to spaceflight regulations.
Max Hayman, a first-year rocket engineer on Project Sunride, said: “We are all very confident in the capability of the rocket and I have high hopes for a successful America launch.”
The launch in the Mojave Desert will be live streamed on Instagram and YouTube for the public to watch.
