UAH Team Wins NASA Student Launch Challenge

The University of Alabama in Huntsville’s Charger Rocket Works team earned first place overall in NASA’s 2026 Student Launch Challenge, a nine-month engineering competition that tasks students with designing, building, testing, and flying a high-powered rocket to complete a real-world mission.

Curiosity Squad Host Alex Hall visited the team to learn how students developed a rocket capable of reaching a precise target altitude before deploying a payload that collected and analyzed a soil sample. Safety Officer Max Taylor explains the rigorous design process, the extensive documentation required by NASA, and the teamwork behind the award-winning project.

The conversation also explores how the competition prepares students for engineering careers through hands-on experience in design, safety, project management, and collaboration, skills that helped UAH outperform 22 other teams from universities across the country.