FAR-OUT 2027 · FAR site, Mojave Desert, California · 26 May – 1 Jun 2027
The road to the Mojave
FAR-OUT, the Friends of Amateur Rocketry – Oxidizers Uninhibited Tournament, is the world's first dedicated hybrid and liquid student rocketry competition. Teams fly as close as possible to a contract apogee they declare months in advance. KFUPM ASCENT enters Category A (3,000–15,000 ft) with a COTS hybrid in its first year.
01Category
Why Category A with a COTS hybrid
A proven motor
Certified COTS hybrids need no static-fire data, so our hours go into the vehicle, ground operations and recovery.
Inside the first-entry limits
5.3 L oxidizer tank under the 8 L limit; 9.7 : 1 thrust-to-weight above the 8 : 1 minimum.
Accuracy is the score
7,000 ft contract apogee; ±1 kg of trim shot moves apogee between about 6,690 and 7,460 ft without changing the payload score.
02Programme
Timeline
31 Oct 2026
Entry form
After acceptance
Virtual Design Discussion with FAR staff
1 Dec 2026
Team entry fee
15 Jan 2027
Initial Progress Update, contract apogee and university EH&S confirmation
Weekly
Status check-ins
15 Apr 2027
Final Progress Update and hardware freeze
Late Apr 2027
Final Video Conference (virtual safety inspection)
≈ 19 May 2027
Technical report
26 May 2027
Symposium, check-in and safety briefings
27–28 May 2027
Setup days, FAR site
29–31 May 2027
Launch days, FAR site
1 Jun 2027
Category A morning launches, awards and closing dinner
03Scoring
How FAR-OUT is scored
- Altitude accuracy against the contract apogee
- Simulation precision on the day's weather
- Payload (at least 1 kg, scored on mass and volume, capped at 500)
- Hybrid/liquid motor performance bonus
- Recovery
- Launch bonuses
- Poster, technical report and checklists
- Sportsmanship and outreach (karmic) points
04Heritage
Where we come from
Falcon-1
TEKNOFEST 2026 : 2nd place, A4 international category.
ASCENT-1
Built for the 2025–2026 Space Grant Midwest High-Power Rocket Competition, flown twice on team-built candy motors in Saudi Arabia.