On a humid, overcast day in Plains, Virginia, an hour from the nation’s capital, a team of middle school students aimed for the stars as they competed in the American Rocket Challenge, the world’s largest student rocket-building competition.
The competition is sponsored by the Department of Defense, NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and major U.S. defense contractors.
A total of 922 teams from across the country applied, but only the top 100 teams were selected to compete in Virginia. Each team’s goal was to build a rocket, load it with an egg, launch it as high as possible, and land it without cracking the egg.
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One team at Francis Hammond Middle School in Alexandria, Virginia, had already overcome obstacles before they even stepped onto the rocket-launching field. The students weren’t born in the United States; their families had fled homelands in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Turkey and Ukraine. Teachers recruited them to join the school’s rocket club to help them learn English and adjust to life in the United States.
Twelve-year-old Artyom came to the United States from Ukraine with his mother after Russia invaded in February 2024. He was scared of the snipers and tanks outside his apartment. Now, while his compatriots use cannons and drones to fight Russian forces, Artyom designs rockets. Artyom loves to be creative and found a place in the art club at school. He helped the team design a rocket.
Yosra with her brother. Yosra told Fox News that when she grows up, she wants to be a lawyer and work for the U.S. government. (Yosra’s Family)
“When I needed to put in the motor, it wouldn’t fit, so I had to make more space. I was doing all of that,” Artem told Fox News.
Farhan, 13, fled Afghanistan with his father, mother, grandfather and sister three years ago during a chaotic US military withdrawal when the Taliban took power and is now focused on studying physics and hopes to become a pilot.
“I’m really happy that we’ve come this far. I’m really proud of us and the team. We’ve achieved a lot,” Farhan said in an interview.
What he didn’t talk about was his journey to America.
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Farhan’s father, who worked for the US government before Afghanistan fell to the Taliban and asked that his name not be used to protect his family who remain in Afghanistan, said he ran to get Farhan’s family to the airport, fearing for their safety.
It was a two-day walk in the scorching heat, with the Taliban repeatedly beating them. When they arrived at Abbey Gate, a US Marine was watching the crowds and recognized Farhan’s father as someone he had worked with. The Marine escorted the family to the airport. The family was warmly welcomed by a young female Marine, who died a few days later along with 12 other US soldiers in the Abbey Gate bombing.
Farhan’s family was evacuated to safety on a US military plane and eventually flown to the US. Farhan said he wants to be a pilot when he grows up.
Farhan and his family board a US military plane departing Kabul (Fox was asked to blur the faces of Farhan’s family members to protect their identities). (Farhan’s family)
“Our country was occupied and it was no longer safe, so we had to migrate,” Farhan said.
Yosra is one of the students on the team, along with her family, who fled Afghanistan in August 2021. She wants to become a lawyer and work for the U.S. government, but now she loves building rockets, and the Taliban would never have allowed her to do that if she had stayed in Afghanistan.
“I feel free. I feel like I can go wherever I want, I can do anything. … If I was there, I wouldn’t even have the courage to speak English. I wouldn’t have been able to go to school. So I feel good. I feel proud,” Yosra said.
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Babur left Afghanistan on August 27th at the age of 10 with his family. His father worked as a translator for the US military, which helped bring his family to the US. Babur loves studying science and space, and says he wants to work in the aerospace industry when he grows up.
“I’m grateful because I’m independent and there’s a lot to do here, like programs like this one and the rocket club,” Babur said.
Watching the students’ successful launch was NASA astronaut Woody Horberg, who represented Pittsburgh High School at the same competition in 2003. Horberg spent 186 days in space and just returned from piloting a SpaceX mission to the International Space Station last September.
Babur and his father are pictured outside Francis Hammond Secondary School. (Babur’s family)
“I’m really passionate about students building something with their hands, experimenting, sometimes failing and knowing that flying isn’t perfect,” Hoberg told Fox News.
After launching to a height of 847 feet, the team’s rocket landed in some brush during its descent. Worried about the safety of the eggs, the students sprinted to the brush to retrieve them. After some arguing, the students impatiently decided to wait until officials came to remove the rocket and parachute from the brush.
The egg survived and the students placed 50th.
Despite missing out on the championship, Farhan said he is proud of his team’s achievements and wants to continue making his family proud.
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“We intend to make our country and them proud,” Farhan said. “We intend to give back to them for all they have done for us.”
