Go to main contentsGo to main menu
Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 12:04 PM
American Dream

Baird Helps Launch Husker Rocketry to Seventh Place in IREC Rocketry Competition

Baird Helps Launch Husker Rocketry to Seventh Place in IREC Rocketry Competition
THE ROCKET “Vortex”, made by Kaita Baird of Tecumseh and the Husker Rocketry team, blasts off at the International Rocket Engineering Competition.

A rocket named Vortex, constructed by the Husker Rocketry team, placed 7th overall out of 144 teams, at the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) held in Spaceport, Midland, Texas, from June 15 through 20. The Husker rocket also placed fourth in the10k COTS (Commercial Off the Shelf) category. Tecumseh native Kaita Baird has been one of the team members of Husker Rocketry for three IREC competitions.

Baird's team placed in the 30’s overall during their first competition and in the 70’s their second time after going through a few hardships. “This is our third time competing overall after rebuilding the team due to COVID,” Baird said.

The rocket, Vortex, is about 11 feet tall with 6-inch diameter tubes for the body and a total weight of roughly 60 lbs.

PLEASE LOG IN FOR PREMIUM CONTENT. Our website requires visitors to log in to view the best local news. Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe today!
More about the author/authors: