Featured Highlight — HALE Team
Congratulations, OSU’s HALE Team!
The OSU’s HALE rocket team just completed a major pre-launch milestone. On June 6, 2026, they successfully conducted Cetus Static Fire 2 — a full vehicle test of Oregon’s first liquid bipropellant rocket with 100% of flight hardware installed.
Follow the team on Instagram: @osu_hale
Cetus Specs
- Height: 21.5 ft tall
- Wet mass: 375 lb
- Propellant: LOX/kerosene (KEROLOX)
- Target apogee: 30,000 ft
- Engine: Mira 2 — burns for 10 seconds during flight
Key Upgrades Between Static Fire 1 and Static Fire 2
- New engine injector plate for improved performance
- Integration of onboard power
- Full flight burn duration tested for the first time
- 100% of flight hardware installed — essentially a dress rehearsal for launch
2025–26 Milestone Timeline
- December 16, 2025 — Mira 2 Static Fire 1 (engine only, 1,350 lbf)
- February 28, 2026 — Mira 2 Static Fire 2 with flight nozzle (1,681 lbf)
- May 10, 2026 — Cetus Static Fire 1 (full vehicle)
- June 6, 2026 — Cetus Static Fire 2 (full vehicle, full flight hardware, full burn duration)
Launch Outlook
Launch is targeting summer 2026, which would make Cetus the first liquid rocket ever launched in Oregon. HALE is also one of six finalists in the Base 11 Space Challenge — a $1M prize for the first collegiate liquid rocket to reach space.