About Us

The Bethel University Rocket Club was founded in 2021 by three freshmen engineering students. Advised by Dr. Keith Stein of the Bethel Physics & Engineering Department and mentored by rocket enthusiast Art Gibbens, the team has won the NASA Minnesota Space Grant Midwest High-Power Rocketry Competition each of the past four years. The team has doubled in size each year since its inception with over 30 active members participating. In 2023, the team became an official club with the Bethel Student Government and continues to be supported by the Bethel Physics & Engineering Department. This year the team is competing in the Midwest High-Power Rocketry Competition.

The team not only competes as a team in the Midwest competition, but encourages members to become high-power rocketry certified with the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). With this as a core emphasis for members, the team has completed over 30 flights for individual certifications! This great learning experience allows students to build, simulate, and fly a rocket with their own two hands!

2024-2025

This year the team competed in the Midwest High-Power Rocketry Competition: "High Thrust Challenge" with a final result of 1st place overall team and 1st place in the best looking rocket sub-category. The team successfully entered the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) with completion of the competition through the 2nd progress report before withdrawing due to a lack of funding.

-Front row: Alec Braun (Team Lead), Caleb Hill, Dr. Keith Stein (Team Faculty), Nevaeh Miller, Hannah Larson (Team Lead)

-Back row: Fred Kehrer, David Schieffer, Jeriah Young, Ben Teigland (Team Lead), Johnathan Shearer, Nathan Engman (Team Lead), Kyle Melby (Team Lead), Josiah Baker, Watson Sheard, Connor Bertram (Team Lead), Miles Scheetz, Art Gibbens (Team Mentor)

-Not Pictured: Amanda Long, Barak Woyke, Carter Sheard, Elise Nienow, Megan Lawver, Spencer Sealock

2023-2024

This year the team competed in the Midwest High-Power Rocketry Competition: "In-Flight Characterization Challenge" with a final result of 1st place overall team.

-Front row (left to right): Connor Bertram, Carter Sheard, Barak Woyke, Hannah Larson, Watson Sheard, Nathan Engman (Team Lead), Josiah Baker, Alec Braun (Team Lead), Kyle Melby

-Back row (left to right): Dr. Keith Stein (Team Faculty Advisor), Ben Teigland (Team Lead), Art Gibbens (Team Mentor), Chris Paffel

2022-2023

This year the team competed in the Midwest High-Power Rocketry Competition: "Precision Landing Challenge" with a final result of 1st place overall team.

-Front row (left to right): Connor Bertram, Kyle Melby, Anabelle Linson, Max Huberty, Art Gibbens (Team Mentor)

-Back row (left to right): Dr. Keith Stein (Team Faculty Advisor), Nathan Engman (Team Lead), Ben Teigland (Team Lead), Alec Braun (Team Lead)

2021-2022

This year the team competed in the Midwest High-Power Rocketry Competition: "Return to Flight: Fleet Challenge” with a final result of 1st place overall team.

-Front row (left to right): Alec Braun, Ben Teigland, Nathan Engman, Art Gibbens (Team Mentor)