---
title: "For the First Time, a Student-Built Rocket Just Reached Space"
description: "A team of students from the University of Southern California just successfully launched a 13-foot tall rocket called Traveler IV into space."
date: "2019-05-22"
modified: "2019-05-22"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/student-rocket-reaches-space"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "rockets"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "the digest"
  - "university of southern california"
---

# For the First Time, a Student-Built Rocket Just Reached Space

![A team of students from the University of Southern California just successfully launched a 13-foot tall rocket called Traveler IV to past the Kármán line.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/student-rocket-reaches-space.png>)
*\<em\>Image: University of Southern California\</em\>*

## Such Great Heights

A team of students from the University of Southern California’s Rocket Propulsion Lab just successfully launched a 13-foot tall rocket called Traveler IV to past the Kármán line — the altitude of 62 miles (100 km) which is widely considered to be the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

It's the first time any student-built and -designed vehicle has achieved that feat. Students around the world have been racing to achieve the same thing, as [*Wired* reports](<https://www.wired.com/story/a-rocket-built-by-students-reached-space-for-the-first-time/>), but the USC team got there first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5j74uv427g&feature=youtu.be

## Blast Off

After reaching a max speed of Mach 5.1 and plummeting back to Earth — slowed by a set of parachutes— the rocket was still in good condition, according to [official mission logs](<http://www.uscrpl.com/traveler-iv>).

The rocket itself was powered by solid rocket fuel and featured only a single-stage rocket design — rather than the multi-stage layouts that split and ignite space-optimized thrusters mid-flight to reach orbit.

## Flight Trajectory

The USC team's launch didn't go off without a hitch. They noticed "imperfections in the flight trajectory" just after launch, likely due to damage to the interior of the nozzle.

For the next launch, the team is already eyeing liquid-fuel rocket designs for bigger payload and more power.

**READ MORE:** [A Rocket Built by Students Reached Space for the First Time](<https://www.wired.com/story/a-rocket-built-by-students-reached-space-for-the-first-time/>) \[*Wired*\]

**More on rocket launches:** *[Update: Vid Appears to Show SpaceX Capsule Exploding During Test](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-anomaly-crew-dragon-test>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)