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NEWS RELEASE-INVITATION - Polytechnique breaks sound barrier, sets new records, takes first place at international rocket competition IREC 2014

Students from the Oronos Polytechnique committee have just won first place in the advanced category at the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC). The IREC is a celebrated international competition organized every year by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association in Green River, in the Utah desert in the United States. It brings together the best university teams from all over the planet along, with a jury of rocketry experts.
July 14, 2014

The competition objective is to propel a rocket carrying a scientific payload to an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,050 metres, basic category) or of 25,000 feet (7,620 metres, advanced category) with the greatest possible precision.

The Odysséus rocket, developed by Polytechnique students, won in the advanced category by managing to break the sound barrier and reach an altitude of 25,818 feet (7,869 metres), never before seen at the competition! The former record, 21,000 feet (6,400 metres), was greatly surpassed by the Polytechnique students, who also set a precision record in the advanced category with a margin of error of 3%. Ten teams from Canada, the United States and Turkey were registered in this category.

Posting a near-perfect stable, straight-line flight, Odysséus was recovered three kilometres from the launch site in good condition thanks to the deployment of two parachutes.

Oronos Polytechnique, making its fourth appearance in the competition, was the first Canadian team to win at IREC, in 2012.


ORONOS POLYTECHNIQUE'S ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE 2011

- 1st place, basic category, IREC 2012

- 1st place, basic category, IREC 2013

- 1st place, advanced category, IREC 2014

- Precision record in 2012 in the basic category: 9,920/10,000 feet (3,024/3,050 metres) with Zéphyr, 0.8% margin of error.

- Precision record in 2014 in the advanced category: 25,818/25,000 feet (7,869/7,620 metres) with Odysséus, 3% margin of error.

Oronos Polytechnique also competed in the basic category this year. Its Mistral rocket, despite a stable flight, ran into technical difficulties and was not able to rank in the top spots.

Two other Québec teams also competed at IREC 2014: RockÉTS, from École de technologie supérieure, finished second in the basic and advanced categories, and the GAUL team from Université Laval gave a great performance for its first time in competition.

MEDIA BRIEFING AT POLYTECHNIQUE WEDNESDAY, JULY 16

Back from the United States with their Mistral and Odysséus rockets, the members of Oronos Polytechnique will tell the story of their adventure at a media briefing to be held in the Lassonde buildings' atrium with members of the Polytechnique community and some 100 young science aficionados enrolled in the FolieTechnique science camp also in attendance.


About Oronos Polytechnique
Oronos Polytechnique was founded in May 2010 and now includes more than 35 bachelor's-level members from five engineering disciplines. The committee's objective is to design innovative prototypes to take part in university competitions, and as such to share their passion for aerospace and astronautics with the public. Oronos allows students to apply the concepts they learn in class in a competitive environment. The team now has 14 launches and nine prototypes to its credit. It has also begun testing on a new hybrid propulsion system entirely created by its members.

About Polytechnique Montréal
Founded in 1873, Polytechnique Montréal is one of Canada's leading engineering teaching and research institutions. It is the largest engineering university in Québec for the size of its graduate student body and the scope of its research activities. With over 41,400 graduates, Polytechnique Montréal has educated nearly one-quarter of the current members of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. Polytechnique provides training in 15 engineering specialties, employs 248 professors and has more than 7,500 students. It has an annual operating budget of over $200 million, including an $82-million research budget.

DATEBOOK

WHAT: Media briefing on the Oronos Polytechnique team that just won the IREC 2014

WHEN: Wednesday, July 16, 2014, 10 a.m.

WHERE:

Polytechnique Montréal
Lorne M. Trottier Atrium
3rd floor, Lassonde buildings
Université de Montréal campus
Université de Montréal métro
Indoor parking available at the Lassonde buildings
Campus map: http://www.polymtl.ca/rensgen/coordonnees/campus.php

 

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Information and interviews:
Annie Touchette
Communications, Polytechnique Montréal
514 231-8133
annie.touchette@polymtl.ca

 

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