USC lab breaks amateur record, launching rocket 89 miles above Earth

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A team of students from the University of Southern California have broken a record for the highest rocket launched above Earth by amateurs.

The USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory last month launched Aftershock II to an altitude of 470,000 feet - more than 89 miles - above the planet's surface.

The students launched their rocket on Oct. 20 in the Black Rock Desert rocket launch area in Nevada.

Data analysis from the onboard avionics unit led to confirmation last week that the rocket had hit an altitude higher than any previous amateur effort. It also reached a maximum speed of 3,602 mph.

"This achievement represents several engineering firsts," said Ryan Kraemer, executive engineer of USCRPL and an undergraduate student majoring in mechanical engineering. "Aftershock II is distinguished by the most powerful solid-propellant motor ever fired by students and the most powerful composite case motor made by amateurs."

In 2019, the same USC lab launched the first successful spaceshot by students, the Traveler IV rocket which reached an altitude of more than 64 miles.