Level 1 Certification Information
One of the ways Rose Rocketry lowers the barrier of entry to aerospace is assisting members in earning the Level 1 high power rocketry certification at a fraction of the cost, covering your rocket parts, motor, and travel to launch. Below are guides, explanations, and a high-level overview of the steps to take to get your L1.
Guides:
Epoxy Safety and Usage Guide
L1 Kit Build Guide
L1 Kit Dimensions
Build Session Sign-Up Instructions
A Few Words on Rocket Painting
Expressing Your Interest:
The first thing to do is express your interest. The easiest way is to give yourself the “Aspiring L1” role in the Discord by typing “p!getrole Aspiring L1” in the #bot channel. This will subscribe you to pings for the L1 program. At the discretion of the hobby lead, a general interest form for L1s may also be sent out, be sure to fill it out if you’re interested.
Signing up for Build Sessions
Every 2 weeks, the current High Power Rocketry Lead will publish a sign-up for build sessions. To start building, sign up for three (3) build sessions. These build sessions are approximately 1-2 hours each, depending on the step you are on. The number of build sessions depends on the anticipated demand for L1s and people available to run the sessions. If you are unable to get 3 build sessions, your situation will be sorted on a case-by-case basis.
What is the National Association of Rocketry?
The National Association of Rocketry (NAR) is one of two major organizations in the United States that oversee amateur rocketry. The NAR, along with the Tripoli Rocketry Association, is responsible for keeping model rocketry safe, testing and certifying rocket motors, building community around model rocketry, providing a space to discuss rocketry, overseeing certification flights, and of course, lobbying the government in favor of model rocketry.
Signing up with the NAR is an essential part of HPR certification. It costs $30 per year. If this cost is prohibitive, contact the HPR Lead.
Why do I Need to Certify?
Unlike your typical hobby store rocket, you need to have a certification or certification attempt to buy and fly high-power motors, defined as any motor with over 160 Newton-seconds of impulse (160-320 N-s of impulse is also known as an H-class rocket motor), 80 Newtons of average thrust, or a hybrid propellant. At Level 1, this certification is gained by successfully launching and recovering a rocket on an H-class or above motor. This certification then allows you to buy the motors of the certification level and fly high-power rockets on your own. Level 1 gives you access to H and I class motors, L2 gives you access to J, K, and L-class motors, and L3 gives you access to M, N, and O-class motors. For more on the certification process, visit NAR's certification page.
How to Join the NAR?
Head over to NAR’s website: https://nar.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/nar/membershipJoin.jsp
Fill out your contact information
Select the appropriate category. For most members you will fall into one of the two shown below. No, you cannot opt out of the magazine.
What steps do I take to certify?
Express interest in the L1 process as described above.
If you feel like designing your own rocket for your L1 or customizing a club kit beyond paint, contact the High Power Rocketry Lead.
Sign up for your build sessions.
Attend your first build session.
This build session includes a safety briefing and is when you get your parts.
If you would like to start outside of a build session, contact the HPR Lead.
See our page for a parts list and assembly instructions for our kits.
Complete your rocket’s build process
Once you receive your parts, you may build your rocket outside of dedicated build session time.
If you have a fully-built rocket or cannot make your next build session, let the HPR Lead know as soon as possible.
While this step is optional, most people tend to paint their rockets.
Name your rocket. This step is mandatory, as all flights are announced at launches.
Sign up with the NAR. This step is required.
Print and fill out a certification application
Fill out a flight card (provided at the launch field)
Launch and recover your rocket
If successful, bring your rocket back to those managing your certification and fill out the remainder of the certification application.
Submit scans of the completed certification application to NAR using the following form: https://www.nar.org/digital-level-1-hpr-certification-form/ and wait.
Not a Rose student?
We’re happy you found us! Still feel free to use our resources or reach out to one of our members if you have questions.