Media advisory: Aug. 18, 2025

Aerospace Club to launch rocket 3 miles high on Sept. 9

Horizon 1 rocket launch is the final test of the club's circuit board, opening the way for a future space shot

The University of Nevada, Reno Aerospace Club will launch Horizon 1, its testbed aircraft, 16,000 feet high Sept. 9 in the Black Rock Desert. The launch of the 8-foot-tall Horizon 1 rocket will set the stage for the club’s long-term goal of a space shot past the Kármán line (62 miles above sea level, the boundary line between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space).

This academic exercise, supported by defense and space technology company Voyager Technologies, will help prepare participants for aerospace careers.

This event coincides with the start of the George W. Gillemot Aerospace Engineering Program in the University’s College of Engineering. A new major program and graduate degrees in aerospace engineering are being offered this fall.

Media is invited to film the morning launch, which represents a milestone in the club’s five-year history.

“This launch marks a critical point in the club’s growth,” Club president Caden Wierman Curtis said. “This advancement will not only allow the club to learn and teach more complicated and technical skills that are used in aerospace research, but also to pursue our own in-house research.”

Supporting those efforts: Voyager Technologies, which has a decade-long relationship with the College of Engineering.

“Our goal is to get UNR students excited about rocket propulsion and an engineering career,” said Dustin Barr, director of Advanced Technology Programs at Voyager Technologies. “Interacting directly with students not only gives us a different perspective, but it also gives students real-time feedback from industry professionals, essentially gaining real-world experience.”

Curtis and Barr both will be at the launch, along with Aerospace Club advisor Assistant Professor Aditya Nair.

This event coincides with the start of the George W. Gillemot Aerospace Engineering program in the University’s College of Engineering. A new major program and graduate degrees in aerospace engineering are being offered this fall.

– @unevadareno –

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY: Rocket launch

WHEN/WHERE: Drivers will leave from Reno at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 9 for the Black Rock Desert. A club team member will guide media or media can travel with the Voyager team, which also will be driving to the launch site. The actual launch will take place around 11 a.m. or noon.

Media contact:
Chris Moran, University of Nevada, Reno College of Engineering
cakinaga@unr.edu
Office: (775) 784-7901
Cell: (775) 303-8587
Nevada Today: www.unr.edu/nevada-today