Initially founded in 2010 and rebranded in 2019, the Swamp Launch Rocket Team exists as student organization encompassing University of Florida students from a wide range of backgrounds and majors. Formally known as The University of Florida Rocket Team, Swamp Launch enables students to study, engineer, and launch high-powered rockets. The team is not only dedicated to participating in nationwide rocketry competitions but has also devoted abundant effort into educating its members and local community.
The Swamp Launch Rocket Team competes in two major competitions each year: the NASA Student Launch (SL) competition and the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC). Each competition has a variety of challenges and objectives that change annually.
Aside from competitions, members have the opportunity to earn their high-powered rocket (HPR) certifications through the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) by designing and building their own rockets with tools, materials, and knowledge provided by Swamp Launch. The team also hosts courses to teach the basics of rockets and inspire a passion for rocketry in newer members. Community outreach is another major part of our mission as we strive to inspire the next generation of engineers by attending local schools and hosting STEM-related activities.
Currently, we are divided into two main groups, each dedicated to one of the competitions we participated in each year: The NASA Student Launch (SL) group and the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) group. Each group is further divided into sub-teams that focus on specific parts of the rocket such as avionics recovery, modeling and simulation, payloads, structures, and testing.