DPF stands for a Dollar Per Foot

The Rules are as follows:

  • Open to US and Canadian Universities and Colleges only
    • No High-Schools
  • All team members must be current students
  • Single-Stage Rockets Only
    • No dropping tanks or other portions of the rocket
  • Liquid Propellants Only 
    • No solids or hybrids
    • Can be monopropellant
    •  No water or boiling-water as a propellant
  • Must use Two-Stage Recovery
    • Deploys drogue-parachute at apogee
    • Deploys main-parachute below 1000-feet
  • Recovers Successfully
    • Returns on main-parachute
    • Returns with nosecone tethered to rocket
    • Sustains only minor damage
  • Launches shall be performed at FAR Site
  • Launches shall be attempted on a normal FAR launch Saturday
  • Altitude shall be determined by a FAR payload
    • see FAR-Mars Payload
    •  Alternate altitude measurement devices are approved at FAR's discretion
  • The rocket and rocket motor have not received the DPF award before
  • Follows the FAR/Mars safety requirements
  • Launches requiring a new FAA COA
    • Altitude over 50,000-feet
    • Rockets over 9,208 lb-sec (40,960 N-s)
    • Launch team is responsible to acquire a new FAA COA
    • COA must be coordinated with FAR
    • Copy of COA sent to FAR two-weeks before launch
  • The contest starts immediately
    • Register through FAR Competition Registration webpage
    • Register two-weeks before launch
    • Currently there is no end-date for this contest

Award:

  • $1 per foot of altitude above the end of the launch rail
    • Payable to the launch team