The Plains, VA – The Bishop’s School from La Jolla, CA, today earned the title of National Champion at the 24th American Rocketry Challenge National Finals held at Great Meadow in The Plains, VA. Supporting the students at today’s event were many mentors, parents, competition sponsors, and special guest Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator.
The Bishop’s School led a record-breaking 1,107 teams that entered the competition at the start of the year and earned a first-place finish out of the top 100 teams competing at National Finals. They will represent the United States in the International Rocketry Challenge at the Farnborough Air Show in London in July.
“It’s a full circle moment,” said Ryan O’Donovan of The Bishop’s School. “We put in the work, going out every weekend to launch the rockets. To be in this place right now is really fulfilling and surreal.”
The four-person team worked for six months to prepare for the competition. Team members include Daniel Guo and Ryan O’Donovan (pictured), as well as Charlie Ahn and Logan Yockey.
To qualify as a top 100 team for the National Finals, teams designed, built, and launched custom rockets engineered to reach 750 feet in altitude and achieve a precise flight duration between 36 and 39 seconds, showcasing innovative design, advanced technology, and engineering skill.
The team’s victory follows months of dedicated preparation designing, building, and testing a rocket capable of meeting rigorous mission parameters set by the competitions’ sponsors — the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), National Association of Rocketry, and 15 industry, government, and academia partners.
“Today’s competition is an exciting glimpse into the future of aerospace innovation,” said Eric Fanning, AIA President and CEO. “The Bishop School delivered a standout performance, rising to the top of the largest pool of competitors in the history of this competition and securing an impressive win for their innovation and teamwork. Their achievement has opened the door to competing on the international stage in London this summer, continuing their extraordinary journey in aerospace and STEM.”
The American Rocketry Challenge is AIA’s signature STEM initiative and is sponsored by industry partners — led by sponsor RTX — as a way of supporting the next generation of engineers and scientists who will power the aerospace industry’s future STEM workforce.
“Every team competing in the American Rocketry Challenge shows what’s possible when passion meets ingenuity,” said Pam Erickson, RTX Senior Vice President and Chief Communication Officer. “These are the engineers, innovators and leaders who will shape the future of our industry, and RTX is inspired by the talent we see in each of them.”
In attendance at the National Finals competition was Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator, who spent time engaging with student teams and leading the high-powered rocket demonstration.
“Programs like the American Rocketry Challenge are helping shape the next generation of American explorers, engineers, and innovators,” said Isaacman. “The students competing here today have already demonstrated the curiosity, resilience, teamwork, and problem-solving mindset that drive every major achievement in space exploration. As NASA builds toward continuous lunar missions and eventually human missions to Mars, the future of exploration will depend on talented young people willing to take on difficult challenges and push the boundaries of what humanity can achieve.”
The top 25 National Finals finishers receive an invitation to participate in the highly selective NASA Student Launch initiative to continue their exploration of rocketry with high-powered rockets and challenging mission parameters.
Representing 25 states, teams at the 2026 National Finals competed for a total of $100,000 in awards. Awards are shared across the top 10 teams and winners of the ARC Mission Extension STEM Challenges such as Rocket Reels and the Mission Debriefing Challenge. Additional awards were given for Most Outstanding Mentor and Advisor, recognizing the impactful guidance provided to each team.
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Since 2002, the American Rocketry Challenge, the world’s largest student rocket competition, has engaged more than 110,000 middle and high school students in custom rocketry. The annual challenge invites students to design, build, and fly rockets to exacting requirements and gain hands-on experience solving engineering problems. Sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, the National Association of Rocketry, and more than 15 industry, government, and academia partners, the American Rocketry Challenge is the aerospace and defense industry’s flagship program designed to encourage students to pursue study and careers in STEM. The program has launched countless careers in aerospace and defense, and its alumni are helping to engineer the vehicles that will take us back to the Moon, and, one day, to Mars. For more information about American Rocketry Challenge, please visit https:/rocketrychallenge.org or connect on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
