Raise us to the stars- ARA

The Alabama Rocketry Association (ARA) is organizing a crowdfunding campaign to continue supporting the development of world-class engineering experiences for students at the University of Alabama. We participate in three of the largest international rocketry competitions - Dollar Per Foot Challenge, Spaceport America Cup, and NASA Student Launch Competition. In order to sustain all three competition teams, we need to raise $10,000.

ARA’s liquid rocket team competes in the Dollar per Foot Challenge. We aim to break the world record of 23,000 ft altitude in collegiate liquid propellant rocketry and become the 11th university team in history - first among the Southeastern Conference universities - to successfully achieve liquid propellant rocket flight. After completing our first successful hot fire engine test in May of 2022, the first university in the SEC to ever do so, we hope to complete a second hot fire in Fall 2023.

Our NASA Student Launch team competes in a year-round research-based, competitive, experiential exploration activity as part of NASA's Artemis Student Challenges. We build a sub-scale and full-scale version of a unique solid propellant rocket that houses a payload developed through our own research and development. Through our STEM Engagement programs, we participate in Tuscaloosa Rocketry Challenge, educating middle school students about STEM and organizing a water bottle rocket competition.

Lastly, our Spaceport America Cup Competition Team (SAC) competes annually in the Spaceport America Cup, the world’s largest intercollegiate rocket engineering conference and competition. Every June, our SAC team travels to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to compete against more than 150 institutions from around the globe. This year, our team plans to have a functional Muon detector as their payload, with a scientific objective of approximating muon concentration at apogee. We hope to win both of our solid rocket competitions this year!

The ARA family is tight-knit- from aerospace engineers to graphic designers, our team consists of some of UA's best and brightest minds. Our members get hands-on experience that has led them to achieve their dream internships, fellowships, and full-time jobs. By donating to our organization, you are directly contributing to the growth and development of our team and raising us to the stars!