Rutgers AIAA RPL Team Reaches New Heights at International Rocket Engineering Competition

Rutgers Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (RPL) – a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) – student-led team strives to go above and beyond in its advancement of high-powered novel rocketry technologies.  

In June, 18 members of the  80-person Rutgers Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (RPL) joined more than 2,000 students from around the world in Midland, Texas, to compete in the 2025 International Rocket Engineering Competition, where they won second place in the 45K multi-stage category.  

According to team captain Leah Koshy, rockets must be designed with two or more stages to compete in the 45K category – the highest altitude category in the competition. “It requires teams to reach up to 45,000 feet, which is 15,000 feet higher than we’ve flown in the past,” she says. 

The Rutgers rocket soared to success by achieving an altitude of 37,719 feet above sea level, which was the highest of all competition flights. The win acknowledged the team’s success in one of the competition’s most challenging categories.  

Receiving Hard-Won Recognition 

Rising senior industrial systems engineering major Koshy remembers that she could hardly envision that the team would soar so spectacularly when she joined the team as a freshman. “I’m incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished,” she insists. “It succeeds because of its members who show up every day to put in the work that gets our rockets off the ground.” 

For her,  the team win was especially meaningful. “What meant the most to me was finally receiving the recognition we’ve worked so hard for as a two-stage team,” she recalls. “Building and integrating a multi-stage rocket brings a whole new level of engineering complexity compared to single-stage vehicles.  

“In past years, we were judged by the same standards as single-stage teams, which didn’t reflect the unique challenges we had overcome. This year, with new competition rules and a stronger platform, we were finally able to demonstrate what Rutgers Engineering is truly capable of.”  

A Passionate Community 

The team connected with competitors from all over the world – from as far away as Australia and Turkey to New Jersey teams from Princeton and Rowan.  

“The conference and competition remind me of how passionate this community is. Whether it’s new payload ideas or cool ways to refine rocket design, there’s always something inspiring to learn from others,” Koshy says. 

Next year, she is confident that the  Rutgers team will go higher and faster., predicting that, “Our future looks incredibly  bright.”