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New to rocketry?

You don't need any experience. We'll teach you everything, from motor classes to packing a parachute. This page covers the basics, so your first launch day makes a bit more sense.

Join the club Safety first

The basics

How a model rocket flies.

The whole thing is over in less than a minute. For the competition, we're aiming for 37 to 40 seconds from launch to landing.

A rocket climbing on a column of white smoke above a tree line

  1. 1 · Liftoff

    Someone hits the button, the igniter lights the motor, and the rocket shoots up the rail.

  2. 2 · Climb

    The motor burns for about a second. That’s all the push the rocket gets.

  3. 3 · Coast

    The motor’s done, but the rocket keeps going up on its own speed. Watch for the smoke trail.

  4. 4 · Apogee

    The very top. This year the goal is to get there at exactly 800 feet.

  5. 5 · Recovery

    A small charge pops the parachute out and the rocket floats back down. Then you go get it.

Rocket talk

Words you'll hear at the pad.

Motor
The engine. It’s single-use and solid-fuel, and we only fly certified, store-bought ones. Never homemade.
Motor codeF39-6
The letter tells you how powerful it is, and each letter is up to twice the one before. The 39 is the average thrust in newtons, and the 6 is how many seconds it waits before popping the parachute.
Apogee
The highest point of the flight, right before the rocket tips over and starts coming down.
Ejection charge
A little charge at the top of the motor. It goes off after the delay and pushes the parachute out.
StabilityCG · CP
For a rocket to fly straight, its center of gravity (CG) has to be in front of its center of pressure (CP). Rule of thumb: keep them at least one body width apart. People call that one caliber.
Launch rail
The metal guide the rocket rides up at launch. It keeps the rocket pointed straight until it’s going fast enough to fly on its own.
Altimeter
A tiny computer inside the rocket that figures out how high it went from the air pressure. ARC scores your flight off its reading.
Simulation
Test-flying your rocket on a computer before you build it. OpenRocket tells you roughly how high and how long it’ll fly with a given motor and weather.
NAR observer
An adult from the National Association of Rocketry who has to watch your qualification flights and sign off on them.

Your first season, 2026–27

From the first meeting to Nationals.

  1. OctoberCrews form. Legacy teams interview new members. Or get 8 to 10 new students together and start your own Rookie team.
  2. Fall–WinterDesign, build, test. CAD and simulations during the week, test launches on weekends at 60 Acres Park.
  3. By Dec 6Sign up. Every crew registers for the American Rocketry Challenge.
  4. By Apr 5Qualify. You get two or three qualification flights, with a NAR observer watching. Your two best valid scores get added up.
  5. May 15Nationals. The top 100 eligible teams head to Great Meadow, Virginia. Up to two of them can be from Newport.

Safety first

The rules we never skip.

Every launch follows the NAR Model Rocket Safety Code. Give it a read before your first launch day. It's short, and a captain will go over it with you at the field.

Read the safety code
  • Certified motors only. Store-bought, and never modified.
  • An electric launcher. It has a safety key, and the button springs back to off when you let go.
  • Always a countdown. Everyone stands back and keeps an eye on the rocket.
  • If it doesn’t launch, wait. Pull the safety key and give it 60 seconds before anyone walks up to the pad.

Want more?

Keep learning.

Stuff worth checking out if you want to dig deeper. If you only open one link in each group, make it the first one.

We don't run any of these sites. If something there doesn't match how we do things, just ask a captain.

Join the crew

Ready for liftoff?

Any Newport student can join, and you don't need any experience. We meet Tuesdays & Fridays, 3:35–5:00 PM in Room 3104.

How to join

Questions about crews? captains@newportrocketry.org

For parents: what a season looks like