This weekend, members of the Utah Rocket Club will launch hundreds of rockets over the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah.
In its eighteenth year, “HellFire” is the Utah Rocket Club’s biggest launch of the year. The event will go through Sunday morning and will feature members flying their most impressive rockets.
“It is where we members of the Utah Rocket Club fly our biggest and baddest rockets of the year. We do have smaller launches during the year, but this is really where they go up the highest,” said Neal Baker, the club’s president.
Many different kinds of rockets are flown at the event. Baker explained that some use hobby rocket motors, while others are powered by ammonium perchlorate, the same solid rocket fuel that is used by the space shuttle. These powerful rockets can reach heights that require special clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration.
“We have…everything from the little model rockets that people have done as kids to great big monsters that weigh a couple of hundred pounds and go up as high as 25,000 feet,” Baker said.
Though wind delayed events on Thursday, Baker predicts that the good weather expected for the weekend will bring many members to the flats. The club expects 500 launches on Saturday alone.
Spectators are welcome to attend, though they are encouraged to bring food, water, shade and sunscreen. More information about the event can be found at the Utah Rocket Club’s website, UROC.org.