Rensselaer Rocket Society: Project Ascendant

Update on The Mission

Project Ascendant: Reaching Space, Built by RPI Students
Project Ascendant is Rensselaer Rocket Society’s most ambitious effort yet: the design, test, and launch of a two-stage sounding rocket capable of reaching suborbital space with recovery and re-flight capability. 

Led by the Ascendant Research Group, this project sets a new collegiate standard in propulsion, aerostructures, and systems integration. The rocket features a 6-inch diameter booster and 4-inch diameter sustainer, entirely designed and fabricated in-house by RPI students.

Our goal is to prove what student engineers can accomplish when innovation meets opportunity. 

What You Are Supporting

Donor Support Fuels Project Ascendant 

• Custom ammonium perchlorate composite propellants, validated through 15+ static fire and burn tests
• Aerospace-grade aluminum and composite airframes designed for hypersonic flight
• Optimized fin geometries and recovery systems capable of withstanding speeds up to Mach 5.4
• Avionics, machining, testing infrastructure, and safety systems

We are continuing to raise approximately $20,000 for this project. Every contribution at any level directly advances this mission.

In 2024–2025 alone, the Ascendant Research Group raised over $30,000, supported multiple propulsion projects, and earned 2nd place at the Spaceport America Cup, one of the most competitive collegiate rocketry events in the world.

Project Ascendant builds on this momentum, preparing students for careers at NASA, national labs, defense contractors, and space startups while elevating RPI’s leadership in hands-on aerospace engineering.

Your support will help RPI students in their aerospace endeavors now and in the future. Our projects provide our members with lucrative opportunities in the aerospace industry, from NASA to government contractors to space startups. We also do community outreach between our NRB event, helping local scouts, and more. 

Who We Are

Rensselaer Rocket Society designs and builds high-powered rockets and their payloads to participate in various rocketry events and competitions. RRS works to foster the learning and application of aerospace engineering, as well as designing rockets through work on a variety of other projects. RRS strives to increase RPI’s acclaim in high-power rocketry and aerospace circles.

For more information, visit the RRS website and follow us on Instagram.