VIDEO: ‘Making an impossible challenge possible’ —UW rocket team breaks world record

An incredible achievement for a group of young minds out of the University of Waterloo (UW).

The Waterloo Rocketry team set a new record at the 2026 Launch Canada Challenge held in Timmins this August.

Their rocket Polaris, hit an altitude of 63,497 feet, breaking the previous world record by nearly 7,000 feet.

Polaris is described as a liquid bi-propellant rocket at 17 feet long, and weighing 300 pounds when fully fueled.

Its design is more difficult to build than solid or hybrid rockets, with the UW team also behind the first Canadian liquid bi-propellant rocket to launch in 2024 (Borealis).

You can watch the historic launch from last week below:

Second-year mechanical engineering student Niva Patel was one of the masterminds behind the world-record-setting rocket.

“Seeing the rocket launch was an experience that I cannot put into words,” said Patel.

“The moments before launch were the most stressful of my life, but witnessing Polaris soar into the air, hearing the callout confirming we broke the world record, and watching the parachutes deploy with the entire team cheering was unforgettable.”

As for what is next, the team is already planning for 2027, with student recruitment set to start in September.

After 17 years, the group has grown to about 100 students from numerous faculties including Engineering, Math, Arts and Science.

“This is a really hard engineering challenge,” added Patel.

“My favourite part is working through it all together as a team and making an impossible challenge possible.”

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