In this program, female junior and senior high school students interested in science and engineering are invited to team up and try their hand at building a model rocket to be launched using gunpowder. Model rocket development is a widely adopted program in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education in the U.S., and has been proven to be safe and practical, utilizing physics and mathematics learned on a daily basis.

The Girls' Rocketry Challenge (GRC) challenges each participating team to develop an original model rocket through friendly competition. This initiative entered its fourth year two years ago, and a total of 12 schools from across the country have participated so far. Last year, the program was suspended due to the spread of the coronavirus, but this year, we are again recruiting three new schools to participate in the fifth term of the program. From basic model rocket training and licensing to participation in the national competition to be held in October 2021, why not join RIVANES and Lockheed Martin in the challenge?

In this program, you will learn about manufacturing and rocket launch technology (or operation) through lectures and periodic meetings!

In addition, this year's implementation will take into consideration the situation of the spread of coronavirus infection, and will include a combination of online implementation of the appointment ceremony and training sessions.

Organized by: Non-Profit Organization Japan Model Rocket Association
Supported by Lockheed Martin Corporation
Planning and secretariat: Riverness Inc.

What is a model rocket?

Model rockets are model rockets that use gunpowder engines to launch high into the sky at speeds of approximately 180 km per hour. It has a history of more than 50 years in the world, and has been launched more than 500 million times without accident. The rocket can be built freely except for the gunpowder engine, and is popular worldwide as a safe educational material for space education. In Japan, anyone can launch a rocket by obtaining a license issued by the Model Rocket Association. Domestic competitions are held in March, May, August, and October every year, and a world competition is held in July with the participation of four countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan.

Schedule for the 5th GRC Program (tentative)

April 14 (Wed): Application period begins
　　Tuesday, 20: Briefing session conducted @ online
　　Monday, 26th: Application deadline 24:00
May 15 (Sat.) or 16 (Sun.): Installation ceremony and model rocket workshop
　 22nd (Sat): National Convention Tour @ JAXA Tsukuba Space Center
June-August: Model rocket development at each school, school visits, and launch events
August 5 (Thursday): Launch party
October 16 (Sat): National Competition entry @ JAXA Tsukuba Space Center
November 13 (Sat): Completion ceremony and social event
Dec:Participated in Science Castle　*Only the school of your choice

Schedule of online and onsite events being considered at this time within the above implementation (subject to change)
The event that we would like you to come to Tokyo.
May, October: National Convention (observation & production)
August Launch party
Online event scheduled to be held
April Briefing Session
May Appointment Ceremony
November Graduation Ceremony

About the Model Rocket National Competition

The National Model Rocketry Competition is held twice a year and is attended by people from all over the country who are working on model rocket development.

Scheduled to be held in FY2021:
38th May 22, 2021 (Saturday)
39th October 16, 2021 (Saturday)

Competitive events:
(ⅰ) Parachute Dwell Time Competition (to see how long a parachute can stay in the air)
(ii) Altitude competition (to see how high you can raise your aircraft)
(iii) Parachute Fixed Point Landing Competition (to see how close to the designated spot you can land)

Co-sponsored by:
Japan Model Rocket Association
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Sponsorship:
MEXT

Venue:
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center

For more information about the National Conference, please visit the Japan Model Rocketry Church website.
https://www.ja-r.net/rocketmeeting.html

2019 National Convention (4th GRC Team)

Online Faculty Information Sessions

Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2021 16:00 - 17:00
Target: Middle and high school teachers
Admission: Free
Application Deadline : Monday, April 19, 17:00 (Closed)

*Participation in the information session is not required.

5th GRC Recruitment Summary

Activity Period: May-November 2021
Schools : 3 junior high schools and 3 high schools (3-7 girls teams from each school)
Admission : Free
(Basic equipment necessary for development will be provided. License acquisition costs, etc. will also be supported. Transportation to and from each event site will be paid by the school.)
Facility requirements: It is desirable to be able to launch model rockets on school grounds, etc.

Application Deadline : Friday, April 26, 24:00
Application: Closed

*Because this program aims to support female students pursuing careers in science and engineering, participation is limited to female students.
*There are no restrictions on the area of application, but the venue for each event will be in the Kanto area, and transportation costs for such events will not be covered by the support.

Contact Us

Educational Development Division, LIVERNESS Co.
Phone: 03-5227-4198 E-mail: [email protected]