The Launch Canada Challenge
The Launch Canada Challenge brings student teams together to present their work, demonstrate new technology, and launch high-powered rockets. Teams are evaluated on the engineering behind their projects, not only what happens on the launch pad.
The challenge
Teams spend the academic year designing, building, testing, and documenting their projects. At the competition, they explain their decisions to judges, complete the required technical and safety reviews, and put their work to the test in the field.
- Design and test the project.
- Document the team's engineering work.
- Present the project at the conference.
- Complete technical and safety reviews.
- Launch or demonstrate the project.
Conference
The competition begins with a conference where teams present the work behind their projects. Students discuss their designs, testing, results, and safety decisions with judges and aerospace professionals.
The conference also gives teams an opportunity to inspect each other's work, meet people from across Canada's aerospace community, and share what they learned during development.
At the conference
- Teams display their rockets and technical projects.
- Students deliver technical presentations to judges.
- Projects undergo review before field operations begin.
- Industry speakers share their work and experience.
- Students meet competitors, volunteers, and professionals.
Competition categories
Teams choose a category based on the type of vehicle or technology they are developing. Each category has its own requirements and judging criteria.
Restricted
The Restricted category asks teams to design and build a high-powered rocket within a defined set of vehicle and flight requirements. It rewards teams that apply sound engineering, thorough testing, clear documentation, and safe operating practices.
What teams demonstrate
- A complete design supported by analysis and testing.
- A flight-ready vehicle that meets the category requirements.
- Clear technical documentation and presentation.
- Safe and disciplined preparation for launch.
Advanced
The Advanced category is for teams taking on more ambitious launch vehicles and technical objectives. These projects demand deeper analysis, extensive testing, and careful management of the added complexity.
What teams demonstrate
- An ambitious objective supported by a credible design.
- Evidence that critical systems have been tested.
- A detailed understanding of vehicle performance and risk.
- The ability to conduct safe and organized launch operations.
Technical Development
The Technical Development category gives teams a place to develop and demonstrate aerospace technology outside a conventional flight challenge. Projects can focus on propulsion, avionics, recovery, ground systems, testing, manufacturing, or another technical problem.
What teams demonstrate
- A clearly defined technical problem and project objective.
- A documented design and development process.
- Testing that produces useful evidence and results.
- An understanding of the project's limitations and next steps.
More than a final result
Judges consider how well a team understands its project and supports its decisions. Design quality, testing, documentation, safety, communication, and execution all contribute to a team's result.
The annual rules define the exact eligibility, technical requirements, submissions, and scoring for each category.