HPR students impress at Australian Space Research Conference

Monash High Powered Rocketry (HPR) students showcased their student-designed liquid rocket motor at the recent Australian Space Research Conference in Melbourne, highlighting just how far undergraduate rocketry has progressed at Monash.

Supported by the Monash Centre for Additive Manufacturing, dedicated academics and Melbourne industry partners, the team also shared updates from the UK’s Race 2 Space program and proudly took home second place for Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation.

A standout moment was the propulsion team’s presentation of Solaris MkIII, Australia’s first student-researched and designed cryogenic hybrid rocket engine.

From a new 3D-printed nozzle and combustion chamber to hot-fire testing exceeding 10 kN of thrust, the work marks the largest and most ambitious engine ever built by MHPR and a major step forward for student-led launch capability in Australia.

Monash Engineering congratulates the HPR team for their achievements (pictured left to right): Rupert Troedel, Johnson Zheng, Ashley Turnbull, Vicente Morillo Morales, Bavreet Ubhi, Acme Selaelo and Galatia Dimitra Kinia.

For their support of HPR, we also acknowledge Dr Daniel Duke, Associate Professor Daniel Edgington-Mitchell, Dr Callum Atkinson and Professor Larry James Lt Gen, (USAF (Ret) of Monash Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.