Requirement
3. Build, launch and recover a model rocket, then launch again
Required Often forgotten
A second launch for a specific objective, and the nine parts identified and explained: body tube, engine mount, fins, igniter, launch lug, nose cone, payload, recovery system and engine.
Notes and warnings
Warning. The rocket must be built to the National Association of Rocketry safety code; the pamphlet's model rocketry section covers it. Launch with an adult and the right equipment, and decide the objective of the second launch before the first.
Note. If local laws prohibit launching model rockets, the requirement has an alternative: make a model of a NASA rocket, explain the functions of its parts and give its history. That is for where launching is not allowed, not a choice.
Tip. Ask about requirement 3 at your first meeting: where rockets can be launched near you, who has a launch system, and whether local law allows launching at all. It is the one part of the badge that runs on a date.
Where this step comes from
- Space Exploration Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2026-08-05), Requirement 3 · Gives the safety code, the alternative where local laws prohibit launching, and the nine parts, (a) to (i).