The USC Center for Research in Space Technologies (CREST) is a multi-disciplinary collaboration that accelerates civil and commercial uses of space resources.
On October 20, 2024, the USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (USCRPL) successfully launched “Aftershock II,” setting a new benchmark in amateur rocketry by achieving the highest altitude and fastest speed ever recorded. The rocket attained a record-breaking maximum altitude of 470,400 ft, and reached a peak speed of 5,283 feet per second (Mach 5.5), securing the altitude record of all amateur rocketry.
USCRPL was also the first student organization to launch and recover their own rocket past the Von Karman line. Students have the opportunity to push state-of-the-art advances in rocket technology across the areas of launch vehicles, avionics, recovery, payload, and flight.
We offer short courses in engineering, spatial sciences, and public policy for innovators, government leaders, and military personnel on topics relevant to the civil and commercial uses of space resources.
USC Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Detachment 060 is the nation’s premier detachment for recruits interested in the United States Space Force (USSF). With a 75-year history of excellence, this detachment has 42% female participation and 65% participation from under-represented minorities (URM). Cadets often earn internships at world-class space organizations including Aerojet Rocketdyne, Aerospace Corporation, Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA), NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Northrop Grumman, and Relativity Space; indeed, after their summer internships they may work part-time in designing test systems for space flight hardware and related highly technical work. Graduating cadets enter the USSF in many roles, such as as Developmental Engineers or specialists in Space Acquisition and Space Operations.
