NAR Junior Level 1 — high-power rocketry
Built and launched a high-power rocket on an H283 motor at the National Association of Rocketry's NSL East 2024 launch in Nashville, Georgia, and earned NAR Junior Level 1 certification.
Why rockets
Rockets combine the engineering skills of building, designing, and modeling with the physics calculations and theories. That is why I decided to build a rocket. I wanted to not only build my own rocket, but also learn the science behind it.
A robot gets dozens of matches to prove itself. A rocket only gets one flight. Every choice has to be right before the button is pressed, so it was imperative that I made all the correct calculations for a successful flight.
The flight
I launched it on an H283 motor on November 23, 2024, at NSL East 2024 with a side of Turkey & GRITS — the NAR's national sport launch, hosted by Southern Area Rocketry in Nashville, Georgia. The predicted apogee was roughly 500–750 feet.
Liftoff, then the parachute: the rocket has to come back in a condition to fly again.
Ready on the rail
Liftoff — H283 motor
Recovery — back under the parachute
The certification
Junior Level 1 is the NAR's route into high-power rocketry for flyers aged 14–17. It takes a written exam, then a certification flight on an H- or I-class motor, supervised by a certified adult and witnessed in person by a certification team. The rocket has to fly and come back in a condition to fly again.
My NAR license now lists HPR certification level: Junior Level 1.
NAR license — HPR certification level: Junior Level 1 (member number hidden)