WHAT IS LAUNCH 4 CHANGE?
Launch 4 Change (L4C) is a national outreach and climate research programme supported by ARIA and coordinated by Durham University. LURA is one of the university teams selected to run the programme, delivering both mentoring in schools and climate payload R&D. The students’ training culminates in
AIM
The L4C initiative focuses on 2 goals
1) Increasing Outreach : Strengthen LURA’s community engagement and help inspire interest in rocketry and STEM amongst young kids.
2) Climate innovation
MENTORSHIP
Our members deliver workshops on rocketry, engineering design, physics, and teamwork, while providing students with exposure to university-level facilities, environments, and practical launch experience. For many participants, it is their first experience of applied engineering beyond the classroom. The programme is particularly focused on supporting students from groups that are underrepresented in aerospace and engineering, and culminates in the UK Rocketry Challenge.
L4C 2025-26
The 2025-26 academic year was our first year taking part in L4C, and we successfully provided schools with monetary support and hands-on mentoring to compete in UKROC. Our outreach focused on 5 schools in the greater Leeds area:
- Allerton High School
- Pudsey Grammar School
- Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College
- West Borough High School
- Heckmondwike Grammar School
Our guidance in the fabrication of their rockets included sessions in:
Design: Intro to UKROC rules, Level 1 rocket basics, and initial drafting in OpenRocket.
Review: 1-on-1 design feedback, live software troubleshooting, and material selection.
Building: 3D printing, laser-cutting support, and in-person guidance to assemble the final rocket
Although our schools had not qualified for the stage after the regional heats of UKROC, the feedback we received on the programme was incredibly positive. The students were thrilled with the hands-on mentorship LURA provided throughout the process, gaining invaluable engineering skills and confidence, with several schools having already confirmed their eager participation in Launch4Change again next year.
We are incredibly proud to be continuing the Launch 4 Change programme in 2026-27. Student-led engineering initiatives like LURA have proven to be valuable, but often face funding challenges. Help support LURA’s long-term projects by donating to our Crowdfunder.