Student Rocket Team Breaks Altitude Record

A team of students from the University of Southern California's Rocket Propulsion Lab set a new altitude record for a student-built rocket, launching Aftershock II to 470,000 feet, surpassing the previous record by 90,000 feet. The rocket, launched from Nevada's Black Rock Desert, reached Mach 5.5 and became the first non-governmental rocket to achieve such a height. This achievement highlights the students' innovative engineering, including advancements in thermal protection and avionics, and marks a significant milestone in amateur rocketry.