Who We Are

We are the Hurricane Rocketry Club, a -new student organization at the University of Tulsa dedicated to allowing students to learn about high-power rocketry and the experience necessary to excel in the field. We will participate in the Spaceport America Cup – the world’s largest Intercollegiate Rocket Experience Competition – where teams compete to launch solid, hybrid, and liquid propulsion rockets to a target altitude of 10,000 ft

Our Vision

Our ultimate goal is to grow the Hurricane Rocketry Club into a lasting organization that endures beyond our time at the University of Tulsa, becoming and remaining a premier opportunity for students to explore the exciting science and technology of rocketry.

Short-Term Goals

  1. Give members the opportunity to earn their Level 1, 2 and 3 Tripoli certifications
    • We have researched and sourced the resources necessary for the certification process.
    • One of our mentors is a certification authority with Tripoli, who will observe our certification flights.
  2. Build and launch a competitive high power rocket to 10,000 ft in in the International Rocket Engineering Competition
    • With Tulsa Rocketry’s mentorship and student experience from the certification process, we will design and build a rocket to compete in the International Rocket Engineering Competition.

Long-Term Goals

  1. Expand to new competitions and types of rockets
    • We hope to become the second university in Oklahoma to compete in the Argonia Cup multi-stage rocketry competition, and other similar competitions such as the Space Grant Midwest High-Power Rocketry Competition
    • In the future, we would like to build more complex hybrid- and liquid-fueled rockets to reach higher altitudes.
    • In the long term, we would like to undertake the Base 11 Space Challenge, which offers a million-dollar prize to teams that launch rockets past the Karman Line, the agreed-upon border of space 50 miles above sea level.
  2. Research and develop advanced rocketry technology in order to further our
    understanding of rocketry
    • We are interested in developing custom solid rocket motors utilizing various fuel mixtures and casting methods, such as spin-casting, in which the rocket fuel is mixed with a liquid binder and cast into a rapidly rotating casing, utilizing centrifugal force to create a perfectly cylindrical bore with minimal imperfections from gas inclusions.
    • We intend to develop active stabilization methods, such as electronically controlled variable-pitch fins and reaction control thrusters, which shoot small jets of pressurized gas to keep the rocket on course.