After winning the American Rocketry Challenge, we earned the amazing opportunity and honor to represent the US and compete against top teams from France, Japan, and the UK. On Tuesday, June 15, we embarked on our journey to the International Rocketry Challenge (IRC) held at the 2025 Paris Air Show. We had spent the last month preparing and practicing for the IRC. When the competition started early in the day, we were nervous, but confident. After an exciting day of competition, everyone had to wait for the results to be announced the next afternoon. During the wait, we had the opportunity to have a cultural exchange and connect with teams from the other countries. Even with our first-place victory, what made this trip very memorable was interacting with the other teams and getting to learn about their ideas and experiences. Due to our shared passion for rocketry, we were able to bond with teams from around the world and talk about the different designs that we used to get to this competition. This was one of our favorite parts of the experience.
The Paris Air Show itself was a big highlight of the trip. We enjoyed visiting the booths of the aerospace companies, where we saw and learned about new aerospace technology. One of the most memorable aspects of the trip was meeting and connecting with US military personnel at the airshow. We had great conversations and were honored to hear their stories. Also, we had the incredible opportunity to tour the active military aircraft that they work on.
In addition to our experience at the event, we also had an amazing time just being in Paris. We were able to taste the amazing food and visit many of the cool landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, cathedrals, and the Louvre.
The International Rocketry Challenge was more than just a competition–it was an unforgettable experience that fueled our passion for rocketry and connected us with inspiring individuals from around the world. For the Troop 74 Rocketeers, it was truly the experience of a lifetime. Thank you to American Rocketry Challenge, AIA, NAR, RTX, and for everyone who helped us along our journey for making this experience possible.
– Makayo, Chase, Thomas
The Troop 74 Rocketeers
