The Penn High Power Rocketry team offers a hands-on, cross-disciplinary environment for students of any experience level to design, build, and launch rockets. After competing at the 2024 Spaceport America Cup and 2025 International Rocket Engineering Competition (formerly the Spaceport America Cup) in our first two years, we aim to establish a lasting foundation for advanced rocketry at Penn.

Our team is divided into five subteams and values passion, dedication, and a positive attitude over prior skill. 

Avionics: The Avionics subteam designs, builds, and integrates the rocket’s flight computer, sensors, and communications systems. These allow us to collect data and control onboard devices throughout the entire flight.

Payload: The Payload subteam is responsible for the design and construction of the team’s independent deployable payloads. Last year we constructed the team’s first deployable aerial camera and will utilize this foundation for more advanced and technical iterations in the coming year.

Recovery: The Recovery subteam designs and tests the systems that bring our rockets safely back to the ground. We handle parachutes, deployment hardware, and descent modeling while collaborating with Avionics to integrate the electronics that control recovery events. 

Software: The Software subteam is responsible for electronics systems. We work closely with Avionics to ensure the functionality of GPS, altimeters, deployment charges, cameras, and ground station electronics.

Structures: The Structures subteam assembles the framework of the rocket. Our main duty includes the aerodynamic and mechanical design of all components essential for flight.

The Fall 2025 application has closed. Feel free to check out our Instagram to stay updated or contact upennrocketry@gmail.com for any questions.