About Space Raiders

Space Raiders was formed in August 2017 and was aimed at expanding Texas Tech’s student aerospace capabilities via competitive high-powered rocketry. The team has built on several years of high power rocketry experience to be at the level we are now so we can compete at the university level. Every year, the Space Raiders team designs and builds a new rocket, taking previous systems and updating them to fit the needs of our current project. Over the years, the team has advanced intensely, now having manufactured an air-break and graphite nozzle. Upcoming ideas and projects include moving away from an aluminum fin can to manufacturing fins in-house out of carbon-fiber.

During the 2025-2026 academic year, Space Raiders will return to compete at Spaceport America Cup (now IREC, the International Rocket Engineering Competition), this time in the 10K SRAD category (using student researched and developed propulsion systems).

CURRENT PROJECTS

2025-2026: International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC), 10K SRAD

Space Raiders will be returning to IREC in 2026. This year, the team will be competing in the 10K SRAD with a 10,000 ft apogee target and using a custom student researched and developed propulsion system.

PREVIOUS PROJECTS

2024-2025: Raider X (International Rocket Engineering Competition, 10k SRAD)

During IREC 2025, Space Raiders launched an 8 1/2 ft rocket with a 4 inch diameter to 10,313 ft on an SRAD M1149 motor using our “Blue” rocket propellant formula. The team had a successful launch and recovery, sustaining no damages to the rocket. We scored 6th in our category and 58th overall. Featured on the rocket (starting at the nose cone and ending at the fin can) we have a parachute reefing system using piranha-cutters, a HAM Radio as our payload, a COTS avionics board including a StratoLogger, Missile Works RRC3 and a tracker, and an airbrake that unfortunately was unable to fly.

2023-2024: Fearless Champion (Spaceport America Cup, 10K COTS)

During Spaceport America Cup 2024, Space Raiders launched Fearless Champion, a 6-in diameter 12-ft tall rocket, to approximately 10,000 ft on an AeroTech M6000 motor. The team had a successful competition campaign, with the team’s technical report being scored 16th out of 122 teams and being scored 38th overall, along with having the distinction of being one of only fifty teams to successfully recover their rocket without damage.

SAC 2024 Technical Report

2022-2023: Centennial Champion (Spaceport America Cup, 10K COTS)

Space Raiders competed in the Spaceport America Cup for the first time in 2023. The team launched Centennial Champion, a 13’-long, 6”-diameter rocket that flew on an Aerotech N2000W. Centennial Champion was launched twice: first during a test launch in May 2023 in Seymour, Texas at the Tripoli North Texas launch site and second at Spaceport America in New Mexico during the competition.

2021-2022: Matador II

During the 2021-2022 academic year, Space Raiders goal was to design, build, test, and launch a Level 2 rocket (motor class I-L, total impulse between 320-5120 Ns) to gain experience for future competitions we hope to apply for. A successful flight is crucial for the admission phase when applying to compete in any rocket competition. Matador II was a 4-inch diameter rocket weighing 60lb, and it flew on a Cesaroni L1395, achieving a speed of 1.5 Mach and reaching 10,000ft. The mission was a success with a nominal flight and successful recovery of the rocket without any damage.

2019-2020: NASA USLI

Proposal

Proposal for NASA’s 2019-2020 University Student Launch Initiative outlining project goals, proposed designs, and plans for the 2019-2020 season.

PDR Report

PDR Presentation

PDR Flysheet

2018-2019: Matador One

The Matador One is a 14' long, 6" diameter rocket developed by the Raider Aerospace Society at Texas Tech University. This student designed rocket carried two payloads, one for NASA research and the other for CERN. The NASA payload is a series of microfluidic plates intended for future flight to Enceladus, a moon of Saturn and the CERN payload is Muon particle detector.

2017-2018: Raider 2 (NASA USLI)

Proposal

Proposal for NASA’s 2017-2018 University Student Launch Initiative outlining project goals, proposed designs, and plans for the 2017-2018 academic year.

PDR Report

PDR Presentation

PDR Flysheet

PDR Motor Chart

This report package contains preliminary designs and evaluates design risks and efficacy and establishes the basis for subsequent designs.

CDR Report

CDR Presentation

CDR Flysheet

This report package contains the critical designs intended for competition. The team evaluated the risk and efficacy of the final design while explaining and justifying the design in the most complete manner possible.

The post launch assessment looks back at the project and analyzes the performance of Raider 2 against mission-based guidelines and expectations.