ProtoSpace Mfg Returns as Lead Sponsor of IREC 2026, World’s Largest Collegiate Rocketry Competition

SYDNEY, NOVA SCOTIA — ProtoSpace Mfg, a global leader in rapid manufacturing for aerospace and defense, has announced its return as the lead sponsor of the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) 2026. The event, organized by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA), will take place June 15-20 at Midland International Air & Space Port in Midland, Texas. This year’s competition will bring together more than 2,000 student engineers from 175 university teams representing over 20 countries across six continents, making it the world’s largest collegiate rocketry competition.

IREC serves as one of the aerospace industry’s most important talent pipelines, providing students with hands-on experience in designing, building, and launching high-powered rockets. Throughout the week, teams will undergo rigorous safety reviews, technical inspections, engineering presentations, and launch operations, competing in categories that include missions reaching altitudes of up to 45,000 feet. The competition is designed to simulate real-world aerospace engineering challenges, requiring teams to iterate quickly and solve problems under pressure.

ProtoSpace Mfg’s support extends beyond sponsorship; the company has provided direct manufacturing support to both the competition and participating teams. This includes designing and manufacturing critical infrastructure such as launch equipment, payload support hardware, and specialized components. Additionally, ProtoSpace Mfg has supplied custom-manufactured parts, enclosures, assemblies, and other hardware that enable student teams to move rapidly from design to testing and launch.

‘Most engineering students spend years solving problems on paper. These students are building flight hardware, testing it, troubleshooting failures, and learning how to adapt when things don’t go according to plan,’ said Dr. Doug Milburn, Co-Founder and Vice President of Protocase and ProtoSpace Mfg. ‘That’s the reality of aerospace engineering. The ability to iterate quickly, solve problems under pressure, and learn from setbacks is what separates great teams from average ones. Competitions like IREC provide an environment where those skills are developed at an incredibly high level, which is why they are so valuable to both students and industry.’

Many former IREC competitors have gone on to careers at leading aerospace companies, government agencies, and research institutions, underscoring the competition’s role as a proving ground for the next generation of technical talent. ESRA President Steve Taylor emphasized the importance of the partnership: ‘ESRA is proud to once again partner with ProtoSpace Mfg for IREC 2026. Every year we see students take on increasingly ambitious engineering challenges, and their success depends on their ability to rapidly design, build, test, and improve their systems. ProtoSpace Mfg understands that process better than anyone, and their support helps teams transform ideas into flight-ready hardware.’

The 2026 competition will feature a full week of activities, including technical presentations, poster sessions, safety reviews, launch operations, and industry engagement opportunities. Launches will take place at Midland International Air & Space Port, one of the few FAA-licensed commercial spaceports in the United States. Conference Day will include ProtoPod Live at IREC: Engineering, Velocity & Life After University, a podcast hosted by Jordan Rose with guests from Mercury Space Systems and Blue Origin, as well as a seminar titled Project DNA: How to Build Projects That Actually Move, focused on accelerating execution in engineering environments.

ProtoSpace Mfg’s investment in IREC reflects its broader commitment to the future of aerospace manufacturing. The company works with universities, research organizations, startups, and 19 of the world’s 20 largest aerospace and defense contractors, helping engineering teams eliminate manufacturing bottlenecks and accelerate development cycles. As aerospace activity expands across North America, ProtoSpace Mfg is also growing its own footprint, including significant investments in Wilmington, North Carolina, to support increasing demand from the aerospace and defense sectors.

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