SEDS at SJSU is currently undergoing an initiative to build our Hyperion Rocket in which we will design, build, and launch a liquid methalox-powered rocket to a specified altitude of 45,000 feet. The officersihip of SEDS sees this initiative as an opportunity to spark the interest of University students, in advancing the development of the technologies necessary for a successful manned mission to Mars. For SEDS at SJSU to successfully design, build, and launch a methalox-powered rocket from the ground up would not only be an extraordinary milestone for SJSU, but would be an extraordinary accomplishment for the advancement of University and experimental rocketry as a whole. Upon completion, our members will have gained substantial knowledge of and experience with the construction and operation of each individual system in a liquid-powered rocket, plus a multitude of other aspects associated with rocketry-based projects, including logistics, organization, and testing. This project will lay the groundwork for future SEDS at SJSU members (and for the aerospace department at SJSU as a whole) to advance toward achieving even more ambitious goals in the future. SEDS at SJSU is currently in the design phase of Hyperion and is seeking funding and manufacturing opportunities to advance into the construction phase.

Each year the University Student Rocketry Competition (USRC) calls upon SEDS chapters across the United States to design, build, and fly a multi-stage solid rocket with a maximum impulse of 640 newton-seconds (N*s) to as high of an altitude as possible. Chapters must submit timely updates, reports, and technical drawings in order to qualify. Team scoring is based on the overall design and manufacturing process of the rocket, as well as its flight performance. The winners of each years USRC are then announced at that years spaceVision conference in November.