2026 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC)
IREC isn’t just a competition, it’s a launchpad for innovation and careers. This year, 175 teams have successfully applied and been accepted to participate in the 2026 IREC — to push the limits of high-powered rocketry, applying classroom theory to real-world engineering challenges, and break new IREC records!
The Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 for the purpose of fostering and promoting engineering knowledge and experience in the field of rocketry. ESRA’s mission is to provide safe and exciting opportunities for academic groups to compete in aerospace challenges.
In 2006, ESRA established the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) which has since grown from a handful of U.S. based collegiate teams to welcoming 150+ collegiate teams from ~22 countries on 6 different continents. During the IREC each team designs, builds, tests and launches rockets with a payload size >2kg and target altitudes of 3,000 to 30,000 meters. Rockets are typically 10 to 20 centimeters in diameter and 2.5 to 6 meters long. Multi-stage rockets and all chemical propulsion types (solid, liquid and hybrid) are allowed.
