This week, the University of Waterloo Rocketry Team launched Polaris, a liquid bi-propellant rocket, at the 2026 Launch Canada Challenge in Timmins, Ontario. The student group watched as their dedication propelled the rocket to an impressive altitude of 63,497 feet, surpassing the previous world record of 56,590 feet.
“Seeing the rocket launch was an experience that I cannot put into words,” says Niva Patel, a second-year Mechanical Engineering student and future technical lead on the rocketry team. “The moments before launch were the most stressful of my life, but witnessing Polaris soar into the air, hearing the callout confirming we broke the world record, and watching the parachutes deploy with the entire team cheering was unforgettable.”
Polaris measures 17 feet in length and weighs 300 pounds when fully fueled. This year’s design included an upgraded recovery system and a more powerful engine.
“It’s last year’s rocket, but better,” says Patel. “We increased Polaris’s engine thrust to improve its initial stability and significantly optimized its structure to maximize altitude. To ensure we got it back safely, we also reinforced the recovery system to handle ten times the expected deployment forces.”
Building liquid bi-propellant rockets is tougher than working with solid or hybrid ones; however, they are considered industry standards in aerospace making them worth the effort. In 2024, Waterloo Rocketry built and successfully launched Borealis-Canada’s first liquid bi-propellant rocket.
The following year in 2025, they launched Aurora which reached 38,000 feet-making it one of the highest amateur liquid bi-propellant rockets globally at that time. Unfortunately, they couldn’t recover Aurora or most flight data but used that experience as a learning moment for improvement. Polaris descended smoothly under both a drogue and main parachute-a first for this team-and was recovered safely. They’re already busy analyzing data from onboard sensors.
This marks Waterloo Rocketry’s 17th year with around 100 students from first through fourth years joining from various faculties including Engineering, Math, Arts and Science. The team kicks off recruitment for first-year students each September and starts work on their new rocket right away.
“Our success is built on years of consistent incremental improvements and carefully reigned-in ambition,” says Luca Scavone, a fourth-year Systems Design Engineering student and co-lead of Waterloo Rocketry. “Each launch is proof of our accumulated knowledge-an invaluable resource we share with new members to carry our efforts forward.”
The strong team culture also includes alumni who stay connected via an active Slack channel providing ongoing support like technical advice along with funding opportunities for co-op positions and jobs. Scavone will intern at Space X this fall while Patel begins her co-op work term at the Canadian Space Agency; many recent graduates now work at companies like Space X or Rocket Lab.
The team credits much of its success to support from their university system. As part of the Sedra Student Design Centre they have access to exceptional resources including space for working as well as tools and expert guidance from instructors plus machine shop facilities. Technicians Ryan Cadeau and Les Ankucza along with Graeme Adair-the Student Design Centre manager-offer tremendous assistance throughout each year. Contributions from donors like Stein Industries Inc. along with support from WEEF help cover specialized equipment costs and travel expenses.
“This is a really hard engineering challenge,” Patel says. “My favorite part is working through it all together as a team while making what seems impossible possible.”
This experience has unexpectedly changed how Patel views her coursework; practical design work has improved her grasp on topics ranging from calculus to fluids and thermodynamics.
Check out Student rocketry fires up with an advanced engine design to learn more about what this amazing team does at Waterloo Rocketry.
If you’d like to join or support their efforts get in touch with them!
Image supplied by the Waterloo Rocketry Team.
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