NASA’s Wallop’s Spaceport on the Virginia coast in the Mid Atlantic is seeking college students and teachers to apply for a special workshop that will happen in June. Known as “RockOn”, this is a hands-on workshop that ends with projects being launched into space. Online applications to be a part of the 2026 RockOn are now available online.
RockOn is a hands-on workshop teaching participants how to create a sounding rocket experiment from scratch over the course of 7 days and then launching it into space on the 8th day of the workshop. This is a team experience and takes place at Wallops Flight Facility and nearby off-site locations, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
The workshop is designed for college students and faculty. There are no prerequisites for participants. Anything needed to be successful at the workshop will be taught at the workshop. The workshop is currently planned to start on June 17th, 2026 and will conclude with launch on June 25th, 2026. These dates are subject to change until they are finalized in March 2026.
Team size is 3 people consisting of two students and one faculty member. NASA says participants must sign-up as a community college or university team; no individual registrations will be accepted. The overall project will be limited to 21-28 teams. Teams will be selected on how well they complete the application, rather than when they submit it within the application period.
Applications are due by February 13; a down-selection process will occur at the close of the application window to select program participants.
Once a team is selected, they will be required to pay the $4,000 registration fee. This fee is designed to cover the expenses of the experiment parts, necessary testing, and flight costs. This fee does not include travel costs or room and board during the workshop.
Program details and a link to the online application are found here: https://www.nasa.gov/wallops/stem/rock-on/
