Sub-Scale Sounding Rocket; An Investigation Into the Artemis Program's Worth

This report explores the intersection of educational aerospace projects and national space initiatives, focusing on the University of Virginia’s 2025 Rocket Capstone Project and NASA’s Artemis program. The capstone team designed, built, and launched Hoo-Rizon 1, a subscale sounding rocket, to gain practical experience in structural design, avionics, and systems engineering. Despite a recovery malfunction, the project fostered valuable skills through iterative design and project management, ultimately leading to the first rocket capstone launch. In parallel, the Artemis program’s ambition to return humans to the Moon faces scrutiny due to high costs, delays, and reliance on legacy technologies. By comparing these two efforts, the report emphasizes the need for cost-effective, adaptable, and critically evaluated strategies for responsible space exploration, highlighting the role of hands-on engineering education in preparing the next generation of aerospace professionals.