USC Students Break Altitude Record with Civilian Rocket Launch
A team of students from the University of Southern California's Rocket Propulsion Laboratory set a new amateur record by launching their rocket, Aftershock II, to an altitude of 89 miles above Earth. The launch, which took place on October 20 in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, achieved a maximum speed of 3,602 mph and featured the most powerful solid-propellant motor ever fired by students. This achievement surpasses their previous record set in 2019 with the Traveler IV rocket.