The crew

The people wholit the fuse

Fourteen mechanical engineering students, a faculty advisor and two Level 3 high-power rocketry mentors.

Club members showing their rockets to students at the York College club fair
Recruiting at the club fair

The meaning of Flashpoint

The moment a spark becomes a fire

York College has flown before. In April 2018 our first rocketry team launched Aurora at NASA Student Launch in Huntsville, Alabama. It reached 4,476 feet, deployed its parachutes and released an autonomous rover. Then the program went quiet during COVID.

In April 2026 a few students brought it back, with no lab, no funding and almost no one holding a high-power certification. That summer, four members earned their Level 1 certifications on dual-deployment rockets, sometimes after losing rockets to the trees and building again.

FP-1 is the first vehicle of Project Flashpoint, a program we plan to keep building for years after the founders graduate.

0student engineers
0certified flyers
0feet, the goal

Leadership

Founders, engineers, flyers

Wyatt Nave founded the club with co-founder Jacob Balmages in 2026. Dylan Tichy, our L2-certified chief engineer, is FP-1's flyer of record.

The crew

Fourteen students, one rocket

Every member is an undergraduate in mechanical engineering at York College of Pennsylvania.

Mentors

Two Level 3 flyers in our corner

Brian Hastings mentored York College's first NASA Student Launch team and now returns for IREC 2027. David Vestal brings IREC and propulsion experience from Embry-Riddle.

Where we build

Shop, labs and a wind tunnel

We build in space provided by York College, with in-kind machining support from KRS, an aerospace manufacturer. Ground tests run under mentor supervision, and energetics are stored on campus in a fire box.

  • 3D printer roomSleds, baffles and tracker housings in PETG and ASA
  • Machine shopCNC mills and lathes for end caps, rings and hardware
  • Aero labWind tunnel for aerodynamic testing
  • Materials labMaterials testing on campus
  • Mechatronics labAvionics, payload electronics and firmware
  • KRSIn-kind machining from an aerospace manufacturer
A red and black rocket resting on stands on a workbench
Fresh off the bench
A carbon fiber fin can resting on a stand on a shop workbench
Carbon fiber fin can
Next pageRoad to IREC 2027