2024 FAR Competition
May 31st - June 2nd 2024 | Mojave Desert, California
What is FAR?
FAR stands for Friends of Amateur Rocketry and is an organization that provides individuals and teams a facility where they can launch the rockets they have been working on. FAR’s goal is to “educate the public in STEM through the use of amateur rocketry.”
FAR Competitions
FAR-OUT
The FAR-OUT (Oxidizers Uninhibited Tournament) competition, is a launch rocketry competition for rockets with hybrid and liquid rocket motors. This competition has apogee groupings of 5,000-10,000ft; 20,000-40,000ft; and 50,000-100,000ft.
FAR-51025
The FAR-51025 is a rocketry competition that is open to any motor, commercial or experimental. This competition must launch the rocket to an apogees of 5,000ft; 10,000ft; and 25,000ft carrying a payload. There are multiple payload options, providing the team with more points for each one achieved.
FAR-DPF
The FAR-DPF or Dollar Per Foot Challenge is open to US and Canadian Colleges and Universities. The challenge is for single stage, liquid propellant rockets only. The rocket must launch and land safely with only minor damages. The team will receive $1 for every foot of altitude above the end of the launch rail. Teams that have attempted so far achieved altitudes ranging from 4,000ft to 23,000ft.
FAR-MARS
The FAR-MARS Launch Contest is a $100,000 prize contest held jointly by the Mars Society and FAR. The prize is split into two, one for a bi-propellant liquid-fueled rocket, and another for liquid-methane liquid-oxygen rocket. Both with the goal of reaching 45,000ft apogee.
2024 FAR 51025
When:
May 31st - June 2nd, 2024.
Where:
The FAR Launch Site in Mojave, California.
Competition Scoring & Requirements:
Scoring will be based on the closest distance to the target altitude, the mission option and success, motor type used, and the condition the rocket is recovered in (20% point penalty if it is not in usable condition). The requirements include a minimum 2.2 lbs. (1kg) payload, that is separate from the airframe and is greater than 3” airframe. The rocket also must include a redundancy for majority of the avionic systems, a dual deployment recovery system, a tracking system, an OpenRocket simulation file, a payload mission, and must carry 500 ml of water.
Launch Day
The launch day begins with a check in and inspection on either the night of May 31st or the morning of June 1st. At the check in the rocket will be inspected to make sure safety standards are met, the specification sheet, pre-flight checklist, and the launch checklist is checked. Passing this inspection will result in the team receiving a flight card. The launch of the rockets will occur on Saturday, June 1st between 8am and 6pm or Sunday, June 2nd between 9am and 3pm. Teams are allowed 30 minutes on the launch pad for solid motors, and 1 hour for hybrid or bi-prop motors. Once the flight is complete the team must recover the rocket to check the condition, and report to a post flight inspection where inspectors will check the measured altitude and calculate a score.