The program that started with HARA launching three school rockets in 2001 has continued to a celebration of 48 launches this April 2023. Although 27 flights occurred last year in Huntsville, the rocket fair, normal RSO inspection schedules and group assemblies of NASA’s Student Launch were back for the first time since covid 19. The weather turned out perfect 4/15 for student teams to launch a rocket with the NASA challenge of taking panoramic video on landing mimicking a probe reaching another planet. The ensemble of high school and college teams flew J, K and L motors to altitudes not over a mile above Bragg farm on a range operated by NAR.

After three scrubbed launches in a row the earth and sky were finally dry enough for HARA to get out and fly. With them came a ton of people wanting to be certified to fly high power. There were plenty from the UAH Space Hardware Club, but the real blitz was added by a new sport rocketry club of employees at Huntsville’s Blue Origin plant. A likely headline for this story could be, “HARA certifies Blue Origin for HPR,” but that would be too cool. Twenty-two fliers got level 1 with two more achieving level 2 keeping the officers busy all day with paperwork. Sixty four rockets flew and most of them were high power. The light winds kept all the models landing nearby. Pictures by Pat, Doug and Vince.

HARA got out on the field on day one of 2023 with an impromptu small model launch unable to resist the unseasonable 70 degree sunny day. See more photos, videos and notes at the HARA facebook page-

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064693116419

The next launch is scheduled for 1/14/23 at Woodville.

The scheduled launch day on 11/12 was rained out by a hurricane, but by the next weekend the November air was mostly clear, calm, cold, but good enough to fly. There were 38 flights in a fairly even distribution of motors from ‘A’ to ‘J.’ Several ever present school teams brought their birds and other club members brought theirs. As the sky went overcast in the afternoon, the rocket flames showed even up brighter.

HARA’s launch season began well with a two day launch on October 15 and 16,2022. Weather was a little breezy on Saturday and lower winds on Sunday and clear skies both days.  There were 62 recorded launches with a CTI K360 being the largest size flown. Sunday attendance was very light with only about two dozen flights. Models of all types tested the air landing in the freshly cut field.