Kansas State University’s Wildcat Rocketry team has made a historic leap in collegiate aerospace engineering by winning first place at the 2025 Argonia Cup, held on March 29–30 in Argonia, Kansas. The team not only secured the top spot among 20 competing college teams from across the nation but also shattered a world record in the process.
Their winning entry, a two-stage rocket named “Purple Horizon,” achieved a remarkable altitude of 35,439 feet, setting a new world record in the commercial-staged L-impulse rocket category. The rocket also reached a top speed of 1,050 miles per hour, underscoring the technical excellence and precision of the team’s engineering work.
In terms of scoring, the Wildcats earned a total of 61,778 points, outperforming two highly competitive teams: CU in Space from the University of Colorado Boulder, which scored 44,759 points, and Purdue Space Program High Altitude, which finished with 44,692 points. The large scoring gap reflects Kansas State’s dominant performance and meticulous planning throughout the competition.
The Argonia Cup is a prestigious national rocketry competition that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and launch a two-stage high-powered rocket capable of carrying a payload of golf balls to an altitude between 9,000 and 40,000 feet above ground level. To qualify for scoring, both stages of the rocket must separate correctly, deploy parachutes, and land safely in a condition suitable for re-flight. These strict requirements test not only altitude and speed but also structural integrity, payload safety, and recovery systems.
The 2025 victory is particularly momentous as it marks the first time a team from Kansas has ever won the Argonia Cup, bringing pride to the state and to the Kansas State University community. Founded in 2018, the Wildcat Rocketry team has steadily grown in skill, experience, and ambition. Their recent triumph is a testament to years of hard work, technical innovation, and collaborative effort among students from various academic backgrounds, including engineering, physics, and computer science.
This achievement places Kansas State University firmly on the map in the field of collegiate rocketry and high-powered aerospace design, and it sets a new standard for future teams to aspire to.
For further information about the Argonia Cup and Kansas State University’s record-breaking performance, visit Cittinfo
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