Rockets 2012 - 5/3-6

The Willow City area north of Fredericksburg will transform into “Cape Canaveral North” as hundreds of high schoolers from across Texas gather to launch more than 70 rockets at Rockets 2012, May 5-8.

The public will have a front row view of all the action, as the event has expanded in its fourth year to include more rockets, more exhibitors, and more activities.

The record number of rockets to launch includes more than 50 8-foot vehicles attempting to send a one-pound payload over one mile high. A dozen second-generation projects will launch rockets designed to break the sound barrier and reach heights up to 12,000 feet.

Launches are scheduled to go up every 30 minutes using six launch pads between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. each day.

Vendors and clubs will provide activities for middle school age students and younger, including crafts, science projects, and building and launching rockets from kits. Teams from Computer Explorers will conduct workshops for kids that include Green Engineering with soar and wind power, Super Sleuths, and Fungineering using lego bricks and levers to create projects.

Activities are free, with small fee charged for those building rockets from kits.


Rockets2012 is the culminating activity of the acclaimed SystemsGo Aeroscience program developed over 10 years by Brett Williams, technology teacher at Fredericksburg High School.

Hillview Ranch is located north of Fredericksburg off the Willow City loop. Signs will be posted, and maps to the site, launch schedule, and complete listings of activities are posted online at www.systemgo.org.

Organizers remind the public that the area should be considered an experimental testing range. Schedule may vary, mobility will be limited, access will be controlled, and visitors need to be aware that this is the first flight of all rockets.

For information on lodging, area restaurants, and other events in the Fredericksburg area, visitors are encouraged to contact the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, at 830-997-6523 or www.fredericksburg-texas.com.