Big Red 3

Big Red 3 is a 4-inch diameter high-altitude dual-stage rocket developed by Illinois Tech Rocketry's R&D team. Designed with a target altitude of 50,000 ft, the vehicle served as a platform for new structural, avionics, telemetry, and aerodynamic improvements while continuing the team's development of high-altitude dual-stage rockets. 

On June 6, 2026, the R&D team successfully launched Big Red 3 to 41,788 ft, breaking the club's long-standing altitude record. This also marks the second successful dual-stage flight in club history. Despite the high winds, the sustainer successfully ignited 12 seconds into flight and soared to 41,788 ft at 1,695 fps, making it the highest and fastest rocket in club history.

Project Overview

The project traces its roots back to Big Red 1, the team's first dual-stage rocket, originally designed by the club's founding leads with a target altitude of 33,000 ft. When the R&D subteam was formed in 2023, one of its first responsibilities was to complete and launch Big Red 1. 

While Big Red 1 ultimately fell short due to several design flaws, the project highlighted the challenges of dual-stage rocketry and provided valuable insight into the design, integration, and operation of complex high-altitude vehicles. The experience left the team with an interesting question: how much higher could the rocket go if it were redesigned using everything learned from previous flights? 

Big Red 3 was built to answer that question. With a target altitude of 50,000 ft, the rocket aimed to nearly double the performance of Big Red 1 while using smaller motors and retaining a similar 4-inch diameter architecture. To achieve this, the vehicle incorporated major improvements in structures, avionics, telemetry, and aerodynamics developed through projects such as Big Red 2, Centennial, and Pioneer 1. The project represented three years of testing, iteration, and continuous improvement across multiple generations of vehicles and team members.