Our Crowdfunding Groups
Our crowdfunding campaign has ended, but you can still support the Rocket Project at UCLA by clicking here.
Hello all,
A draft version of this message was mistakenly sent out, here is the revised message. We are incredibly sorry about that!
Thank you very much for your generous donation to Rocket Project's Spark campaign in 2018! Now, 4 years later, we are over 100 active members strong, and are still continuing to push the boundaries of collegiate rocketry.
Since 2018, with your help, we have managed to surpass the altitude record we set for a student-built liquid propellant rocket, and we continue to hold the worldwide collegiate record, at 19,000 feet. We will be launching our newest liquid bi-propellant rocket this coming March, with a goal of 30,000 feet. Even through the COVID pandemic, we have managed to keep up with our ambitious one-year cycle of successfully designing, building, and launching both our liquid and hybrid rockets, a feat that not many college teams can say they've accomplished.
We have also developed a new member education program (RISE), now a full Engineering 96 class at UCLA, which has enabled us to continue making rocketry accessible and inclusive for new students. Our outreach team has also been able to inspire K-12 students across the LA area and also nationwide with the introduction of virtual and hybrid outreach.
We have started a new crowdfunding campaign for the 2023 year, which can be found at this link: https://spark.ucla.edu/rocketproject. We are aiming to raise $10,000 by March 22, and the Mechanical and Aerospace Department has agreed to match every dollar raised up to the target amount, so any donation you make will effectively be doubled! We would really appreciate if you could consider donating to our new campaign this year.
Thank you again for your support of our campaign in 2018. We hope that, even 4 years later, you recognize the importance of our mission, making industry-level rocketry experience available and accessible to UCLA undergraduates.
Best,
Rocket Project Board, 2022-23
Supporters,
This past Saturday we launched our rocket at competition in Mojave. We were the only team to get a rocket off the ground at the competition this year, reaching a speed of ~1000 MPH (or mach 1.3) and an altitude of 14,600 feet before losing our telemetry signal. We are still looking for the rocket, but when we find it, we hope that the actual apogee is even higher.
The rocket, named Tranquility, used a liquid oxygen and alcohol engine, ablative and film cooled. Rocket height was 15 feet with a diameter of 7 inches. Tanks were made in-house, with cylinder rolling, heat treatment, and welding being outsourced.
Our success this weekend would not have been possible without all of you! Your support is very much appreciated by the whole team. Attached are some photos and video of our competition that you can check out as well. Thank you again and GO BRUINS!
-The Rocket Project Team
Follow us on Instagram @uclarocketproject as this is where we typically post the most frequent updates.
Supporters,
Finals are done and Winter Quarter is a wrap. We had a busy quarter and you may have been wondering about our planned launch a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, due to high winds, we had to scrub the launch and reschedule for Saturday April 6th. We are excited to launch the rocket our members have put many hours into. Check out the attached infographic of our Winter Quarter and stay tuned for more updates. Thank you for your support! Go Bruins!
-The Rocket Project Team
Supporters,
This quarter our team has been working hard testing our engine, organizing outreach events, doing R&D, and training new members. In one week on Saturday March 2nd, we will be launching in the FAR-MARS competition in Mojave. We are excited and want to thank everyone again for all their support which has brought us to this point.
Our goal as a club is to continue to steadily progress toward our goal of reaching space while developing leaders and providing project-based learning and engineering experience to members who will contribute toward the long-term success of the club. This past week we had over 100 members complete a safety training to ensure safety is the number one priority for all our members in the lab and at the launch site.
Please check out our Youtube channel for videos of our recent static fires. Stay tuned for more updates!
-The Rocket Project Team
Donors,
Thank you for your patience! Those who claimed a perk with their donation will be receiving their items soon. This past week we handed out the perks to our members who live in your area for delivery over the winter break. For those of you who do not live near a Rocket Project member we will be mailing the items sometime over break. Thank you all again for your donations!
If you have any issues with receiving your perks or you did not receive an item from your perk level please let us know at orders.uclarocketproject@gmail.com
-The Rocket Project Team
Dear Donors,
We hope you are all doing well and want to give a quick update. The perks associated with your donation amount have been ordered, and we are waiting for them to be manufactured and delivered. We are doing our best to have them by Winter break so they can be either delivered to you by a Rocket Project member in your area over the break or mailed to the address you provided with your donation. Thank you for your patience!
This past weekend we had a busy and successful trip to a test site in the Mojave Desert. Over 35 new members making up 13 small groups launched small scale model rockets they designed and built this quarter (pictured below). We still have 19 more groups that are excited to launch in a few weeks. Project Prometheus, our student designed and built hybrid rocket team, static fired their engine successfully for the first time this year. Finally, Project ARES our liquid bi-propellant team static fired their engine successfully in the dark of night (see video below) in preparation for an upcoming launch. Thank you again for your support as none of this would be possible without your generous donations.
Happy Thanksgiving!
-The Rocket Project Team
Generous Donors,
We did it!!
Thank you for your generous contributions to our club! We are amazed by the outpouring of support and generosity we received from friends, family, alumni, and the Bruin faithful who have helped us reach our goal of $25,000! From everyone who is a part of Rocket Project, we would like to say thank you and welcome to the team! Our donors are an integral part of the club and we are thankful for your support. In the coming months you will hear from us and we will update you on our progress and milestones as we push towards space. Thank you again and as always...
GO BRUINS!!
Supporters,
Thank you to everyone who has donated to us throughout our campaign and shared, liked, and posted this funding effort. We are thankful for everyone's support and encouraged by the number of donors who have been so generous in giving to our organization. There are only two days left to reach our goal. With that said, please like and share our new hype video! We are all excited for this year and ready to reach new heights!
GO BRUINS!!
We held our kickoff meeting tonight for new and returning members and it was a huge success. We filled a large lecture hall and had potential students standing at the back just to hear more about our club!
We are looking forward to a great first year and are thankful for everyone's donations. Thank you for your support and please continue to share the campaign. We are excited for the future and training the new members who will hopefully one day take us to space. Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who has shared, liked, or donated to our campaign. We are thankful for your support of our club. Thanks to you we are over halfway to our goal! There are still ways for you to help. Please share the campaign to social media and friends and family to help us reach our goal!
With the funds we have currently raised we will be able to fund our sub-scale vehicle we plan on launching this Fall and nearly all of our outreach, education, and propulsion development. However, we have yet to raise the funds for our full-scale vehicle we hope will take us to space!
Thank you again for your support!
If you donate $10, we will give you a shout-out on social media! (Twitter and/or Facebook)
If you donate $25 you will receive a Rocket Project sticker for decorating your laptop, water bottle, or whatever you choose! AND you will receive all the previous perks. ($24 tax-deductible donation)
If you donate $50, you will receive a custom red flight tag with "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT" on one side and the Rocket Project at UCLA logo on the reverse. AND you will receive all the previous perks. ($45 tax-deductible donation)
If you donate $100 you will receive a Rocket Project team T-shirt for the 2018-19 year! ($90 tax-deductible donation)
If you donate $150 you will receive a Rocket Project team T-shirt for the 2018-19 year! AND you will receive all the previous perks. ($135 tax-deductible donation)
If you donate $250 you will receive a Rocket Project baseball cap! ($230 tax-deductible donation)
If you donate $500 you will receive a Rocket Project baseball cap! AND you will receive all the previous perks. ($465 tax-deductible donation)
If you donate $1,000, you will be invited to attend one of our test launches or competitions! Additionally we will invite you on a private tour through our lab, AND you will receive all the previous perks. (A $964 tax-deductible donation)