UK achieves silver at the International Youth Rocketry Championships

Image courtesy ADS

In a spirited display of young engineering talent, the United States took first place, with France securing third place and Japan following in fourth. 

This year’s competition tasked teams of students with designing, building and launching a model rocket carrying a fragile payload: two raw eggs. 

Teams were also judged on a technical presentation, where they outlined their design approach and mission strategy to a panel of industry representatives. 

This year marked the school’s third attempt at qualifying for the International Championships after narrow misses at both the regional and national qualifiers. 

Culminating in a strong showing at the 55th International Paris Air Show, the ‘Star Lings’ from the Southwest achieved a score of 32.44 points – just 1.44 points behind the winning team from the United States:

• First place: United States – 31 points 
• Second place: United Kingdom – 32.44 points 
• Third place: France – 188.96 points 
• Fourth place: Japan – 328 points  

The UK competition and the UK’s participation in the international final was organised by ADS (the trade association for the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors) and sponsored by industry partners Airbus and Lockheed Martin to support STEM engagement in schools. 

STEM skills shortages continue to pose a significant challenge for the UK economy, with the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors consistently reporting more than 10,000 vacancies across their industries. Additionally, a December 2024 survey of ADS members revealed that nearly 60% of respondents experienced negative business impacts due to staff and skills shortages. 

Kevin Craven, ADS CEO, said: “Teignmouth Community School’s achievement is an incredible story of resilience and commitment to rocketry – a phenomenal performance by a team from the Southwest, where our sectors employ almost 70,000 people. UKROC and its international counterpart are powerful examples of how industry is supporting the next generation to pursue careers in STEM. 

"With more than 26,000 apprenticeships across our industries, we are committed to building a strong pipeline of talent to meet the demands of the future. Continued support for initiatives like this is vital to tackling the UK’s growing skills gap and opening up high-quality career opportunities for young people across the UK.”

Matt Archer, Director of Launch at the UK Space Agency, said: “Supporting the next generation of STEM professionals is more important now than ever before. Competitions like this inspire young people to develop real-world skills and showcase their talents. Congratulations to Teignmouth Community School on their fantastic achievement – it is exactly this kind of success that helps us build the talent pipeline needed to continue growing the UK’s innovative space sector.” 

Kata Escott, Managing Director at Airbus Defence and Space, and ADS VP for Space said: “Airbus is delighted to support initiatives that not only celebrate innovation but also inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists. Congratulations to the Boy Scouts Troop 74 on their well-earned win, and to all the teams who took part in this fantastic event.” 

The international rocketry final is the culmination of four separate competitions held annually around the globe: UKROC, the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC), the French Rocketry Challenge and the Japanese Rocketry Challenge. 

Entry for the 2026 competition will open shortly.