Sydney Students Hit 10,200 Feet With Homemade Rocket

Ninety engineering students spent months designing every bolt, wire, and panel of a rocket named Galah, then drove 12 hours into the New South Wales outback to see if their calculations would actually work.

The University of Sydney rocketry team wasn't just hoping for a successful launch. They were aiming for 10,000 feet, and they needed to hit that target as closely as possible to prove their engineering skills were competition-ready.

When Galah lifted off from Tolarno Station, a remote sheep farm between Mildura and Broken Hill, it soared to 10,200 feet. The team had nailed it within 200 feet of their goal.

Twenty-seven students made the trek for launch week, carefully reassembling components they'd manufactured back in Sydney. The team includes everyone from aerospace engineers to arts majors, all working together on different aspects of the project.

"It's 10 times cooler when it's something you've put together," said Charlie Balderstone, a third-year mechatronic engineering student who served as technical director. His team handled everything from electronics to control systems to structural repairs in the field.

Lillie Mellin, a fifth-year student studying both engineering and law, called it the most demanding experience she's had at university. "You're just forced to learn so much," she said, adding that it provides real-world engineering experience that classroom work simply can't match.

The Ripple Effect

The program has transformed how students at Sydney approach hands-on learning. When the team started traveling to Tolarno Station in 2022, most participants were in their final years of study, but now first and second-year students are jumping in early, gaining leadership experience that will shape their careers.

The team's track record speaks volumes about what student innovation can achieve. Their 2019 rocket Silvereye won its international category, and last year Pardalote took first place after reaching 10,342 feet.

Now Galah heads to the International Rocket Engineering Competition in the United States this June. The Sydney team will face off against universities from America, Canada, Turkey, and fellow Australian competitors from RMIT Melbourne in the 10,000-foot hybrid rocket category.

Project manager Michael Bogeholz emphasized that the experience goes far beyond technical skills. Students handle finances, sponsorships, media relations, and logistics, building the complete skill set they'll need in Australia's growing space industry.

Back in Sydney, 60 more students listened remotely during the launch, supporting their teammates from hundreds of miles away. The program has become a pipeline for space industry careers, giving young Australians the practical experience employers are seeking.

These students proved that with enough dedication, some outback land, and a lot of careful math, the sky isn't the limit.