MinerAlert
Founded in 2021, the Sun City Summit Rocket Team is a student-run multidisciplinary engineering team that designs, builds, tests, and launches high-powered rockets.
Our mission is to cultivate the engineering and teamwork skills of each of our student members through research and hands-on experience — with the ultimate goal of developing the next generation of industry leaders.
The Sun City Summit Rocket Team competes in the 30K COTS category of the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) — the world's largest intercollegiate rocket engineering competition. The team has also competed in the Lonestar Cup, a regional Texas university competition.
Through these competitions, each student applies their engineering knowledge outside the classroom to real-world challenges — relating theory to application and building skills that will serve them throughout their engineering career.
Interested in joining? Contact us at rocketteam@utep.edu or call (915) 747-7976.
From our first launch in 2022 to our best-ever performance in 2025 — here is the story of every rocket we have built and flown.
Standing at 11.4 feet tall, 6 inches in diameter, and weighing 90 pounds, Sandstorm was designed to fly to 30,000 feet using the O5500X-PS motor. It achieved a top speed of Mach 1.5, acceleration of 20Gs, and an apogee of 29,541 feet — our best performing rocket ever. Recovered with no damage, in ready-to-fly condition.
Designed as a testing rocket incorporating elements for future designs. Standing at 8.12 feet tall, 6 inches in diameter, with a dry mass of 34.5 pounds. Using an L-1500T-PS motor, Prometheus achieved an apogee of 6,110 feet against a simulated target of 6,100 feet — an accuracy of 10 feet.
Our first attempt at a rocket intended to fly to 30,000 feet. Its most notable characteristic is an aluminum transition piece that seamlessly increases the lower airframe from 5 inches to 6 inches in diameter. Powered by the Aerotech O5500X-PS motor producing 21,000 Newtons of thrust, Outlander flew to 28,121 feet at Mach 1.6 with 26Gs of acceleration.
Named after the mythical Greek inventor, Daedalus was designed to fly to 10,000 feet and marked the first time the team successfully recovered a rocket — a major milestone built by 50+ students. Standing at 8.4 feet tall, 6 inches in diameter, with a pad weight of 60 pounds. Reached an apogee of 8,947 feet.
The team's very first competition rocket — 7.5 feet tall with a 6-inch diameter. Initium experienced a nominal ascent but the main parachute was never fully deployed. The team lost telemetry and was unable to recover it. A pivotal learning experience that shaped every rocket design that followed.
Want to help build the next rocket? Contact us at rocketteam@utep.edu or call (915) 747-7976.
We compete at the highest levels of collegiate rocketry — from the world's largest intercollegiate rocket engineering competition to regional Texas showcases.
| Competition | Result | Project | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Lone Star Cup | 1st Place | Project Prometheus | Best in Texas |
| IREC 2025 | 2nd Place — 30K COTS | Project Sandstorm | 7th Overall |
| SPAC 2024 | 4th Place — 30K COTS | Project Outlander | 26th Overall |
| SPAC 2023 | 40th Place — 10K COTS | Project Daedalus | 59th Overall |
| SPAC 2022 | 44th Place — 10K COTS | Project Initium | 93rd Overall |
With over 150 teams competing from around the world, the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) provides a chance for university teams to showcase their talent and innovation in the engineering field. Having the opportunity to represent ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ at such a prestigious event fills us with excitement and pride.
IREC is more than just the opportunity to compete against talented teams — it's also about the chance to network and connect with people from diverse cultural backgrounds to exchange ideas, experience, and knowledge, forming lifelong friendships while doing so.
Getting the chance to learn from other teams' unique experiences and approaches in rocket design ultimately helps expand the team's knowledge, allowing us to push our boundaries and constantly improve our designs. Every interaction at IREC — whether with fellow rocketeers or seasoned professionals — gives us the chance to continue growing not only our rocketry skills but our broader engineering knowledge.
We are incredibly proud of the privilege to be a part of IREC and its vibrant global community. IREC ultimately allows up-and-coming engineers to apply what they've learned in the classroom to real-world applications, challenging them to push through their limits to become the best of the best.
The Lone Star Cup Competition is a Texas-based regional collegiate rocketry competition providing an opportunity for students to compete in an IREC-style competition where teams from the region compete to fly their rockets as close as possible to their predicted apogee — showcasing each team's design and simulation accuracy.
Competing in this competition not only provides us with an opportunity to get familiarized with IREC-style launches and inspections, but allows us to connect with fellow Texas universities to expand our understanding of rocketry, learning from one another to ultimately benefit each team's technical expertise.
Networking amongst Texas university teams allows us to share experiences and perspectives, fostering collaboration in the field of both rocketry and engineering. We have been honored to compete amongst fellow Texas colleges and learn from one another to ultimately exceed what we as engineers are capable of.
Interested in competing with us? Contact us at rocketteam@utep.edu or call (915) 747-7976.
Our team is organized into 10 specialized engineering subteams — each responsible for a critical component of our rocket's design, performance, and mission success.
Responsible for all electronic systems that conduct flight data acquisition, send telemetry, establish communication with the ground station, and enable launch and recovery operations.
Designs an experiment that can successfully provide data of scientific merit during flight — enabling meaningful learning opportunities for the team and the broader engineering community.
Provides the launch vehicle with safe, efficient, and reliable power during flight using a solid propellant motor.
Designs and tests the recovery system to safely land vehicle components by utilizing a dual-deployment recovery system.
Manufactures and works on any components that require the use of CNC milling machines, lathes, and other machinery in the shop.
Ensures seamless integration and communication between all subteams by tracking system-level requirements, maintaining detailed records, and overseeing full-system testing and troubleshooting — guaranteeing that all subsystems function together for successful mission execution.
Designs structural components of each rocket and ensures integrity during flight through the characterization of flight dynamics via simulations and testing.
Promotes the team's progress, achievements, and outreach efforts through social media content, photography, and videography.
Researches, tests, and develops innovative flight hardware aimed at enhancing rocket performance — such as airbrakes and liquid propulsion systems.
Manages team sponsorships and fundraising to support project development and competition travel.
Interested in joining a subteam? Contact us at rocketteam@utep.edu or call (915) 747-7976.
Meet the student leaders driving the Sun City Summit Rocket Team's mission, operations, and technical excellence.
| Role | Member |
|---|---|
| Project Manager | Damian Rangel |
| Lead Engineering | Adrian Vicario |
| Avionics Lead | Javier Nunez |
| Business Lead | Viviana Zambrano |
| Manufacturing Lead | Hazel Perea |
| Social Media Lead | Viriany Cobos |
| Payload Lead | Jimena Morales Perez |
| Propulsion Lead | Christian Sierra |
| Recovery Lead | Richard Puentes |
| Special Projects Lead | Victor Bonilla |
| Structural & Aerodynamics Lead | Ramiro Alcoverde |
| Systems Engineering Lead | Loretta Quintana Martinez |
| Role | Member |
|---|---|
| Project Manager | Pedro Ferreira da Silva |
| Lead Engineering | Alejandro Medina |
| Avionics Lead | Adrian Vicario |
| Business Lead | Mauro Rincon |
| Manufacturing Lead | Hazel Perea |
| Social Media Lead | Viriany Cobos |
| Payload Lead | Jimena Morales Perez |
| Propulsion Lead | Christian Sierra |
| Recovery Lead | Damian Rangel |
| Special Projects Lead | Sumit Chanda |
| Structural & Aerodynamics Lead | Ramiro Alcoverde |
| Systems Engineering Lead | Alfredo Torres Loya |
| Role | Member |
|---|---|
| Lead Engineer | Andres Vicario |
| Avionics | Alejandro Medina |
| Payload | Adrian Vicario |
| Propulsion | Jesus Leon Jimenez Jr. |
| Recovery | Valeria Loza & Damian Rangel |
| Structural & Aerodynamics | Pedro Ferreira Da Silva |
| Role | Member |
|---|---|
| Team Leader | Jonathan Cucciniello |
| Avionics Team Leader | Andres Vicario |
| Payload Team Leader | Adrian Vicario |
| Propulsion Team Leader | Alexis Lupo |
| Recovery Team Leader | Valeria Loza |
| Structural & Aerodynamics | Marco Rosa |
| ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ Advisors | Ramon Gamez, Christian Lozoya, Laura Martinez, Alexander Pustinger |
| Role | Member |
|---|---|
| Team Leader | Alan Garcia |
| Avionics Team Leader | Cesar Moriel |
| Payload Team Leader | Kathia Silva |
| Propulsion Team Leader | Adam Roberts |
| Recovery Team Leader | Jacqueline Cottingham |
| Structural & Aerodynamics | Jesus Navarro |
Interested in becoming a team leader? Contact us at rocketteam@utep.edu or call (915) 747-7976.
We are grateful to our corporate sponsors whose generous support makes our research, builds, and competition travel possible.
We would like to thank our 2025–2026 corporate sponsors for their invaluable support. Their contributions fund project development, materials, equipment, and competition travel — enabling our students to compete at the highest levels of collegiate rocketry.
Interested in sponsoring the Sun City Summit Rocket Team? Your support helps the next generation of engineers design, build, and launch high-powered rockets at national and international competitions. Contact us to learn more about sponsorship opportunities.
Become a sponsorQuestions? Contact us at rocketteam@utep.edu or call (915) 747-7976.
We welcome students from all engineering disciplines and experience levels. If you're passionate about rocketry, aerospace, and hands-on engineering — we want to hear from you.
The Sun City Summit Rocket Team offers a unique opportunity to apply your engineering education to real-world challenges. Members gain hands-on experience in rocket design, manufacturing, testing, and competition — developing the technical and leadership skills that industry employers value most.
Whether you're interested in avionics, propulsion, structures, manufacturing, payload design, or even business and media — there's a subteam for you. All experience levels are welcome, and training is provided.
Click on the live page or click the button below to access the online application form.
Questions about the application? Contact us at rocketteam@utep.edu or call (915) 747-7976.