Edmonton’s Team Rocket is blasting off again.
The Edmonton Rocketry Club, along with various other clubs from as far as Saskatoon, met up for the annual Fire and Ice Launch near Viking on Saturday.
The group launched a three-metre, 18.5-kilogram rocket more than two kilometres into the sky Saturday, which reached a speed of more than 800 kilometres per hour.
The rocket was a group project — the first one in 40 years for the club. It took 10 months to build — but according to Peter Woytiuk of the Edmonton Rocketry Club, it was worth it.
“This year was special,” Woytiuk said Saturday. “This is our biggest launch this year.”
Peter Woytiuk of the Edmonton Rocketry Club said their 10-month long project (literally) launches Saturday. (CBC)
The rocket is worth about $2,000 and uses the same fuel that powers traditional rockets. It’s also completely reusable, with the rocket deploying a parachute after it senses its descent.
Woytiuk said launches of this size are rare, which is why people from across Alberta and even Saskatchewan came out.
The group is hoping these events will launch more Canadians into a rocket hobby.