When Steve Taylor was 10 years old, he watched Neil Armstrong step onto the moon and felt something shift inside him. He never became an astronaut. He went into chemistry, then business. But the rocketry bug never let go — and decades later, that childhood spark is the reason for hosting IREC Midland Texas— the International Rocket Engineering Competition and the largest student rocket competition in the world.
Taylor is the president of the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association, known as ESRA. He sat down with Cindy Payton on the latest episode of Good Work West Texas to talk about the International Rocket Engineering Competition — IREC — and why he believes this event is more than just a competition. It’s the beginning of something bigger for this region.
What Is IREC Midland Texas?
IREC is a year-long project for university teams from around the world. Students apply in October, spend months designing and building their rockets, submit technical papers for peer review, and then travel to the competition to launch at altitude targets and have their work judged across multiple categories. This year, more than 170 universities from over 20 countries are participating — and 18 of those teams are from Texas, the most of any state.
The competition isn’t just for aerospace engineers, either. Each team is multidisciplinary — pulling together mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineers alongside business students, multimedia producers, and more. It’s structured to mirror the real world, which is exactly why industry sponsors show up to recruit directly from the competition floor.
What’s Happening in Midland
IREC comes to Midland the week of June 15, 2026. The event opens to the public on June 15 at the Horseshoe Pavilion with a free poster session — no ticket required. Student teams will have their rockets on display and are eager to talk through their projects with anyone who stops by. It’s a rare chance to get up close with a year’s worth of serious engineering work and the students behind it.
From there, the competition moves to a launch site outside Saragosa in Reeves County, where rockets fire toward altitude targets while judges evaluate build quality, technical publications, and flight performance. The Blake Planetarium will also livestream the launches for those who want to watch from the air conditioning.
How You Can Get Involved
Taylor is clear that you don’t need to know anything about rocketry to help. ESRA needs community volunteers for registration, merchandise, food service, and general logistics throughout the week. Midland volunteers helped make last year’s event a success — and Taylor says he didn’t hear a single negative comment from teams or sponsors about their experience here.
“Midland is a very accommodating city,” he said. “It was something that I’ve gotten comments from the teams about. It’s very welcoming, and we really appreciate it.”
There’s also the bigger picture. Taylor talks openly about Midland building a space economy alongside its oil and gas foundation — and IREC is part of laying that groundwork, through STEM engagement with Midland ISD, Midland College, and UTPB, and through inspiring the next generation of engineers right here in the Permian Basin.
Next Steps
To learn more about IREC, volunteer, or donate, visit esrarocket.org.
Is IREC free to attend?
Yes. The public poster session at the Horseshoe Pavilion on June 15 is free and open to everyone. There is also no charge to visit the launch site outside Saragosa in Reeves County. If you can’t make it out to the desert, the Blake Planetarium in Midland will be livestreaming the launches.
Where is the rocket launch site?
The launches take place at a site outside of Saragosa in Reeves County — roughly an hour from Midland. Roads to the site are unpaved, so a high-clearance vehicle is recommended. The drive is part of the experience.
How do I sign up to volunteer?
No rocketry experience is required. ESRA needs community volunteers for registration, merchandise, food service, and general event logistics throughout the week of June 15. Visit esrarocket.org to find out how to get involved.
Can kids attend the poster session?
Absolutely. The poster session is a great opportunity for students of any age to walk up and talk directly with university engineering teams from around the world. It’s free, family-friendly, and runs at the Horseshoe Pavilion starting June 15.
What is a sounding rocket?
A sounding rocket is a research rocket that flies within or just above the atmosphere — not into orbit. The term dates back to the early days of rocketry in the 1940s and 50s, when these rockets were used to gather scientific data. ESRA’s competition is built around this class of rockets and challenges student teams to hit precise altitude targets with their designs.
