South Brunswick Schools Aerospace Team Qualifies For American Rocketry Finals

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Students from South Brunswick High School have earned a spot in the National Finals of the 2026 American Rocketry Challenge, becoming one of just 100 teams selected from a record-breaking field of 1,107 nationwide.

The South Brunswick High School Aerospace team is also among only six New Jersey schools to qualify for the finals, which will be held Saturday, May 16, at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia. The top 100 teams were selected based on their performance in altitude and flight duration.

Finalists will compete for more than $100,000 in awards and the title of National Champion. The winning team will go on to represent the United States at the International Rocketry Challenge at the Farnborough International Airshow in England in July.

The 2026 National Finals will feature a new set of flight requirements designed to test teams' engineering adaptability and problem-solving skills.

"The American Rocketry Challenge launches not just rockets, but also the careers of the next generation of aerospace innovators," said Eric Fanning, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association. "Our 100 national finalists have spent the year applying creativity, precision, and teamwork to one of the most demanding STEM competitions in the country."

Since 2002, the American Rocketry Challenge has engaged more than 100,000 middle and high school students in model rocketry. The annual competition invites students in grades six through 12 to design, build, and launch rockets to precise specifications, gaining hands-on experience in aerospace engineering.

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