The “Feiyan-1” meteorological sounding rocket, independently developed by students from high schools in Shenzhen, Beijing, Hebei, and Shandong, was successfully launched in Lenghu, Qinghai Province, at 3:09 p.m. Tuesday.

The rocket measures 1.52 meters in length, reaches a flight altitude exceeding 8,000 meters, and achieves a maximum speed of approximately Mach 2 (roughly 2,468 kph). It consists of four subsystems: aerodynamics structure, avionics payload, propulsion, and ground station.

Telemetry data show that the rocket reached a peak altitude of 10,555.7 meters above sea level one minute after launch, with the ground station successfully receiving the targeted meteorological data.

Its chief designer is Wang Yuning, a sophomore at Shenzhen Xin’an Middle School (Group) Yanchuan High School. Interested in rockets and the universe since childhood, he has systematically studied aerospace knowledge.

He named the rocket “Feiyan No. 1,” which he said symbolizes “a freely soaring swallow, just like us young teenagers.”

With the support of the school’s aerospace education system, he took the lead in forming the Red Arrow Aerospace Club, where its members systematically learned professional knowledge such as rocket design, fuel formulation, and avionics control.

According to Zou Xiaoxin, Party chief of Yanchuan High School, the rocket was completed in 11 months.

Development of the rocket began in June of 2024 when high school aerospace enthusiasts from across China gathered in Beijing for intensive training, proposal discussions, and preliminary design.

Afterward, they returned to their respective schools and completed rocket design, experimentation, manufacturing, integration, assembly, and testing during their spare time.

“We hope to discover more ambitious and innovative high school students. We are willing to provide university resources and actively participate in cultivating innovative talent from secondary schools to nurture outstanding talent for China’s aerospace industry,” said Xu Dajun, an expert from Beihang University.