Help WARP Rocketry Reach Space!

After reaching a record-breaking 34,195 feet with their most recent rocket, WARP-V (check out the article on WTOP here!), the team is finally setting their sights on the stars. With your help, WARP will become the first high school team to ever fly a rocket to space. Following their numerical naming scheme, this space-bound rocket has been designated WARP-VI. WARP-VI is set to fly to space in April of 2024, while construction of the flight vehicle is planned to begin as early as January 2024.

Background:

The Washington Area Rocketry Program (WARP) was created in 2020 with a single goal: to become the first high school team to reach the Kármán Line, the international definition of space. With our mentor, we build high-power rockets and, more uniquely, design and mix solid rocket motors. No other high school team creates their own solid rocket motors. Only a small percentage of college teams do it. We create custom composite structures and laminates with carbon fiber, fiberglass, and epoxy. We take a progressive approach to our goals, with each rocket being larger and more powerful than the last. Every month we travel out to a launch site, flying our rockets and motors multiple times a day. We hold the records for the highest altitude ever achieved independently by a high school team, as well as the largest student-research and designed solid rocket motor ever flown by high school students. We’ve achieved a maximum altitude of 34,195 feet, and 2.3 times the speed of sound. The team's achievements have been featured in a news article and radio broadcast by WTOP and the Fairfax County Times, as well as posts from Fairfax County Public Schools and Oakton High School.

The Rocket:

Sending a rocket to space requires a tremendous amount of power. To accomplish their goal, the team has designed a 15-foot-tall, two-stage rocket that produces a maximum of 1000 pounds of thrust. Utilizing lessons learned from previous rockets, WARP-VI uses a combination of carbon fiber, fiberglass, and aluminum in its construction. To propel a rocket this large, we'll be creating two motors, larger than ever before.

A project of this scale is incredibly expensive. Your donation will help pay for:

Carbon Fiber and Fiberglass Materials for the airframe

Dual redundant flight computers to ensure reliability

Parachutes/shock cords

Motor casings

Materials for propellant manufacturing

Machining costs

Testing costs

Safety Equipment

Tooling

Below are some statements from the team:

"When I founded WARP, I wanted to be the first high school team to go past the Kármán Line. Now we’re on our way to building that rocket. And that’s a bit of a surreal experience. We’re looking for sponsors of all kinds, companies, individuals, and anyone eager to see us succeed." - Benjamin Miller, WARP Founder and Captain.

"When I joined WARP in my sophomore year, the team hadn't done anything substantial yet, and to see how much progress we've had in the past two years is simply amazing. I hope that, with the help of generous individuals and organizations, what we do inspires kids across the country, maybe even across the world to reach for the stars." - Christopher Do, Co-captain.

"This is what engineering is all about to me. Just a group of people trying to create something out of nothing. I'm so glad to be doing this project with my team." - Gabriel Mesfin-Champagne, Team Member

For any inquiries about sponsorship, or any questions you may have, please contact us.