New Jersey Rocketry Competition

2024 New Jersey Invitational Rocketry Contest

The New Jersey Invitational Rocketry Contest (NJIRC) is a high school level, medium-power rocketry competition designed to develop interest and provide competition in amateur rocketry and provide students with the opportunity to practice for the American Rocketry Challenge (ARC) in a similar competition-style format.

Rules:

The rules for NJIRC follow the exact rules of ARC outlined in sections 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.7, 2.7, 2.9, 2.10, and 2.11 of the ARC rules manual (link). This means the rocket construction parameters, payload and safety requirements, and DQ rules all remain the same. Rules different to those of ARC will be used for the composition of teams, the scoring of flights, the number of flights, and the placements.

Teams: the application for a team must come from a New Jersey high school or educational organization. Each team must be composed of students currently in grades 9 through 12, with a maximum of 12 students on one team and they must all be a direct member of the school or educational organization. There is no restriction on the number of teams a single school or educational organization may register, but there are a maximum of 36 teams that may participate in the competition, first come first serve. Each team registering needs to have a member or coach that is registered and an active member with the NAR (National Association of Rocketry) and has a valid membership number which acts as proof of insurance through the association.

Launch Rail: each school is required to bring one launch system (electronics not necessary) that adheres to section 2.10 of the ARC rules, and must bring an additional system for every 3 additional teams they bring. For example, a school will only need to bring 1 launch system if they have 1, 2 or 3 teams, but must bring two launch systems if they have 4, 5, or 6 teams. Launch systems can also be provided for the purchasing school to keep at a cost of $350 per system (must-preorder at least 2 weeks in advance and be fully registered. These are for schools who purchase to keep for their own use.)

Motors: the allowed motors in the competition are the same as those outlined in the approved motors list for ARC (link). Teams should bring extra motors and caps in case of any failures and additional flights are necessary. These will be checked pre-flight and will require approval before use. Motors may be provided to teams at the competition for a set cost if a team requests specific motors or does not want to bring their own (must-preorder at least 3 weeks in advance if not bringing your own).

Flights: the competition is split into two rounds, with each team receiving two flights per round, for a total of 4 flights. A team does not have to use both flights in a round, but must complete at least one flight for eligible scoring. Each team will be split up into a bracket with three brackets total and this will be done through a number randomizer so some schools, if enrolling more than one team may have multiple teams in the same bracket.

Scoring: Each round will have a different target altitude. The first round’s target altitude will be either 800ft or 850ft, determined by a coin toss prior to the start of the first round. The second round’s target altitude will be 820ft, the TARC qualifier altitude. A team’s flight score will be the absolute distance between the altitude displayed on their approved altimeter (Perfectflite Pnut, Firefly, Jolly Logic Altimeter One, or Altimeter Two) for that flight and the target altitude for that round. The duration of the flight will not be considered for scoring.

Placement: A team’s score for a given round is the best (lowest) score of their two flight scores for that round. If one of the flights is considered a DQ, the score of the other flight will be used. If both flights in a round are considered DQ, the team’s score for that round will be 400. A team’s final score is the sum of their round scores for the first and second rounds, and will be used to calculate placements. Prior to the competition, each team will be randomly assigned to one of three groups, which determines which flight blocks they will be able to fly in. Groupings will be released a week prior to the event. Each member in the top three teams of each group will receive a medal, and the top 3 teams overall will receive a plaque.

ARC Qualification: At a team’s discretion, they may choose to have one or both of their second round flights counted towards ARC qualification. To do so they will need to let a judge know during the check in of their rocket for that flight. An approved NAR official will record the time of flight, and the coach or advisor of the team requesting the qualification flight must also be present at the launch area and record the flight time. Any flights counted towards ARC qualification will also be used for NJIRC scoring.

Date and Location:
100 Main Blvd, Skillman, NJ 08558
At Village Elementary School
Parking will be provided at the school for buses.

Sunday, February 25th, from 7:15 AM to 6:30 PM.
Rain date: Saturday, March 3rd, same time.

Food: a light complimentary breakfast will be provided to coaches/team advisors during the coaches’ meeting. Food trucks will be present for lunch and dinner. Teams can order a lunch consisting of 3 slices of pizza, chips, and a choice of soda in advance. Water will be provided.
Schedule:

Time:
Event:
Location:
7:15-7:30
Teams arrive
Parking lot
7:30-7:45
Coaches meeting and breakfast
Cafeteria
7:50-8:00
Opening ceremony
Gym
8:00-8:30
Preparation block 1
Staging area
8:30-11:30
Round 1 flights
Launch area
11:30-12:00
Makeup flight block 1
Launch area
12:00-12:50
Lunch and rocketry demo
Cafeteria
12:50-1:00
2nd round announcement
Gym
1:00-1:30
Preparation block 2
Staging area
1:30-4:30
Round 2 flights
Launch area
4:30-5:00
Makeup flight block 2
Launch area
5:00-6:00
Free time and dinner
Parking lot/Cafeteria
6:00-6:30
Awards and closing ceremony
Gym

Cost and Registration

The registration cost for the first team from a school or organization is $250, and the registration cost for any subsequent teams from that school or organization is $200. Registration will occur over a google form and close about a week before the event begins. Any questions, please reach out directly to dlee@mtsd.us.

At this time we accept cash, check and P.O to the high school for registration. Your registration will not be confirmed until payment has been received. Payments will be accepted the day of, but no change will be available if paying by cash. We do not accept card payments at this time. If your school requires an invoice for a P.O. to be generated, please let me know and I can create one for you to fill out. If your school requires a W-9, please let us know and I can have it sent to you for payment completion along with the invoice during registration.

All checks and P.O. orders should be sent to:

Montgomery High School
Attn: MHS Aerospace Club-Daniel Lee
1016 Route 601
Skillman NJ, 08558

Register here: https://forms.gle/KtYpCfXvoeJjryV9A