The Queen’s Rocket Engineering Team (QRET) is excited to announce upon its return from the Launch Canada Challenge 2025 in Timmins, Ontario, that it secured two podium finishes.
This year, QRET entered two projects: the 2025 competition rocket HONEY in the Basic Rocket Category, and a static hot fire demonstration of the team’s student-researched-and-developed hybrid rocket motor in the Technology Development Challenge.
This marked the second launch of HONEY, following its successful debut at the International Rocket Engineering Competition in June 2025. For the first time in team history, QRET was able to completely re-launch all sections of its airframe, a major milestone validating both design and manufacturing processes.
On August 20, HONEY soared to Mach 0.9, reaching a maximum altitude of 14,800 feet. The rocket’s build quality, design, and performance earned QRET a second-place finish in the Basic Solid Rocket Category.
The team’s second major success came the following day with the long-awaited hot fire of QRET’s hybrid rocket motor. Overcoming significant technical hurdles, the Propulsion subteam successfully completed the demonstration as part of the Technology Development Challenge.
This test marks one of the most significant technical milestones in QRET’s history, according to Vice President Niklas Krampitz, confirming that the team is on track to integrate the hybrid motor into a flight vehicle next summer. The achievement was recognized with another second-place finish, underscoring both the technical excellence and dedication of QRET’s members.
These results build on last year’s third-place finish, marking the third consecutive year that QRET has placed in the Basic Rocket Category and solidifying its reputation as one of Canada’s leading student rocketry teams.
Looking ahead, QRET is committed to advancing hybrid propulsion. This next step of integrating a student developed motor into the rocket is a technically challenging but vital step to remain competitive in the student rocketry community and to continue pushing the technical boundaries of what is possible.
“Pursuing hybrid propulsion create unparalleled experiential learning opportunities for all students in Smith Engineering as we work at tackling this challenge together” says Krampitz. “The year ahead is filled with exciting challenges that will allow members to gain hands-on experience in engineering, project management, and collaborative problem-solving skills that translate directly into future careers. There has never been a better time to get involved with QRET!”
