The European Rocketry Challenge 2026

SKA Rocketry, the Rocketry Section of the Student Astronautical Research Group at the Warsaw University of Technology, successfully launched its Twardowsky 2 rocket at the European Rocketry Challenge 2026 (EuRoC), a prestigious international competition for student rocketry teams. Equipped with a hybrid engine producing a maximum thrust of 8 kN, the rocket reached supersonic speed. SKA Rocketry was the only Polish team whose rocket successfully flew in this year's competition.

The European Rocketry Challenge is an international competition bringing together student teams that design, build and test their own rockets. It gives students an opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge into practice, test the reliability of their systems and exchange experience with other teams developing rocket technologies.

The scale of the competition is reflected in the numbers: 61 teams applied for this year's edition, of which 25 qualified. Ultimately, 20 teams attended the event, and 12 rockets – including the SKA Rocketry entry – successfully launched. Twardowsky 2 stood out thanks to its technical solutions. It was the only hybrid-propelled rocket competing in the category targeting an altitude of 9 km. Its engine achieved a maximum thrust of 8 kN, making it the most powerful engine among the rockets participating in the competition. The team's engineering approach was also recognised by the judges.

Getting Twardowsky 2 ready for launch required many months of work and overcoming numerous challenges. One of the main difficulties was the lack of dedicated workshop space. Despite infrastructure and financial constraints, the team continued its work. The trip to the competition was made possible through external support, including funding from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and to a large extent through the students' own personal contributions. Ultimately, the determination and commitment of SKA Rocketry members enabled them to launch their rocket and complete a supersonic flight.

"Bringing Twardowsky 2 to its current level of technical maturity has been a long journey, requiring considerable sacrifices and tremendous commitment from the team. Although we are certainly feeling tired after the competition, we are already eager to take on new challenges. We are returning with plenty of ideas for improvements and modifications that we plan to implement over the coming year," says Szymon Krupa from the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering, project coordinator for Twardowsky 2.

The Wrocław University of Technology team, PWR in Space, also took part in this year's EuRoC competition. Although their rocket did not launch, SKA Rocketry extends its warm congratulations to the team for the tremendous amount of work invested in preparing their project.

"SKA members know very well how much knowledge, time and determination it takes to bring a student-built rocket to launch readiness. We would also like to thank PWR in Space for their assistance during the competition," say members of the team. "Cooperation and the exchange of experience between teams are essential to the development of Poland's rocketry community."

Participation in EuRoC 2026 marks a major achievement for the Student Astronautical Research Group (SKA), the oldest student organisation of its kind in Poland. Its activities encompass the development of rocket, satellite and robotic technologies, giving students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through complex engineering projects. The launch of Twardowsky 2 demonstrates that students at the Warsaw University of Technology are capable of taking on ambitious engineering challenges and developing advanced propulsion systems. Behind this achievement are months of hard work, technical expertise, teamwork and the determination of the entire team.