ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-10-05 · by Bill Ormonde and Sarah McConnell
Students from universities across Australia, New Zealand, and India participated in the Australian Universities Rocket Competition at a remote sheep station in outback New South Wales. The event, now in its third year, sees teams designing and building rockets that reach heights of up to 10,000 feet. Organizers hope the competition will continue to grow, attracting more international participants and fostering technical and interpersonal skills among young engineers.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In outback New South Wales, 20 teams from universities across Australia, New Zealand, and even India gathered for the third annual Australian Universities Rocket Competition (AURC) at White Cliffs. The event, organized by the AYAA, challenges students to design and build rockets capable of launching several kilometers into the air. Teams not only construct their rockets but also handle all testing and analysis independently, with some universities even manufacturing parts in-house. Jennifer He, the AURC event director, highlighted that participants develop both technical skills and crucial teamwork abilities necessary for careers in aerospace and engineering. The competition aims to foster growth within the industry by engaging young talent from diverse backgrounds.
Written for “Rocket Design Competition” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
In short:
Domestic and international students take part in the Australian Universities Rocket Competition in outback NSW.
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students → take → NSW
Hundreds of competitors travelled to a remote sheep station to launch their designs several kilometres high.
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Hundreds → travel → designs
What’s next?
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What → ’ → ?
Organisers are hoping the competition continues to grow.
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competition → hop → ?
On a remote sheep station in outback New South Wales, rockets are being launched kilometres into the air.
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rockets → launch → air
About 20 teams of students have travelled from across Australia, New Zealand and as far away as India to compete in the third Australian Universities Rocket Competition (AURC) at White Cliffs.
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teams → travel → Cliffs
The teams are working in partnership with sponsors and companies operating in the aerospace, engineering, defence and university sectors.
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teams → work → sectors
AURC event director Jennifer He says the teams design and build their rockets from scratch.
"
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teams → say → scratch
They're performing all the verification and analysis on them … some are even making their parts in-house at their universities," she said.
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she → perform → universities
"They're developing … their technical skills, but also their organisational [skills], the interpersonal and the way that they connect with each other."
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they → develop → other
University of Queensland student Thomas Molesworth said it was great to see international teams involved in this year's event.
"As much as we can model and simulate, there's really no telling how it will perform on the pad," he said.
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he → say → pad
"This is a really good way to apply some of those skills that I've learnt in class to real engineering challenges before moving in the workforce full time.
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I → apply → workforce
"Also I just love the rockets.
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I → love → rockets
It's really cool to see."
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It → see → ?
Most of the teams spent at least a year designing their rockets.
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Most → spend → rockets
University of Technology Sydney mechanical engineering student Matthew Sutcliffe, 23, is competing for the second time at White Cliffs.
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Sutcliffe → compete → Cliffs
"Ever since I was a kid I'd dreamed of working with rockets and space.
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I → dream → rockets
It's definitely my passion," he said.
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he → say → ?
According to UTS data the team's rocket came within 40 feet (12.2 metres) of the 10,000-feet (3,048m) goal.
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rocket → accord → goal
"All the nerves that were building up to it and just the relief after a perfect flight — it … just made my whole day," he said.
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he → build → day
Located more than 1,000 kilometres north-west of Sydney, White Cliffs is an ideal location for launches, according to Endeavour Aerospace operations director Liam Grieve.
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Cliffs → locate → Grieve
He said clear airspace and being "14 kilometres from anyone" ensured safety.
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airspace → say → safety
"It is rocket science, at the end of the day, and if anything was to go wrong the area can be contained," Mr Grieve said.
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Grieve → go → day
"There are 1,000 things that need to go right and if any one of them go wrong then we have a site that needs to be contained and only those here at the site can be exposed."
Australian Youth Aerospace Association (AYAA) president Myrthe Snoeks said the event had grown considerably since 2019.
This is the third onsite event and the second in outback NSW.
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This → be → NSW
Ms Snoeks is hoping to see more international teams participate in the future.
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teams → hop → future
"Seeing everybody work on these projects, seeing how proud they are when they launch successfully, but also seeing the complexity and growth every year … it's a privilege to witness," she said.
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she → see → complexity
The Aporia