SPACEPORT AMERICA News:
The world’s largest intercollegiate rocketry competition can now also be called one of the best overall events in the Land of Enchantment.
During the New Mexico Hospitality Association’s annual Top HAT (Hospitality And Tourism) Awards ceremony Tuesday night at the Sheraton Uptown in Albuquerque, Spaceport America and the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association were awarded with a Top HAT Award for Outstanding Event. The award recognized the exemplary efforts of both organizations to host the Spaceport America Cup.
’The Spaceport America Cup is a one-of-a-kind event with a size and scale that puts the efforts of thousands of future members of the aerospace and engineering workforce on display for a national audience,” Spaceport America Executive Director Scott McLaughlin said. “How better to show the country and world the spaceport and what New Mexico is doing to become a major player in commercial space. Winning the Top HAT award is an honor and a special ‘pat on the back’ to Spaceport America’s staff, and the many volunteers at the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association. We also wish to thank our many sponsors of the event.”
Doled out on an annual basis for over a decade, the Top HAT Awards celebrate outstanding teams, businesses, individuals, campaigns, experiences, and lodging properties that have demonstrated exceptional dedication to their company or organization’s brand promise over the past year. Almost two dozen Top HAT Awards were presented to organizations around New Mexico in categories such as Best Broadcast Campaign, Best Print Campaign, Best Social Media Campaign, Outstanding Event, Outstanding Attraction/Experience and more.
Held annually since 2017, and scheduled for Monday through Saturday, June 17-22, 2024, the Spaceport America Cup brings together collegiate rocketry groups from around the globe drawn by the opportunity to collaborate and compete at a world-class spaceport facility. The competition and event are held in partnership with the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA), which started the event in Utah in 2007 as the International Rocket Engineering Competition. Student teams represent the best and brightest from more than 150 institutions located around the world. In 2023, almost 6,000 students participated worldwide and nearly 1,700 of them made the journey to southern New Mexico. They, and more than 100 volunteer judges, learned about New Mexico’s growing “Space Valley” and the region’s growing aerospace sector.
An economic driver for the cities of Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences, the Spaceport America Cup generates millions of dollars for southern New Mexico as a direct result of the collegiate rocketeers, sponsors and other individuals who make the trip to witness over 100 rocket flights over a four-day span.
The complete field of 157 participating teams for the 2024 Spaceport America Cup was announced Saturday, Nov. 11. Squads from 34 of the 50 United States and 21 different nations from all six populated continents were among the final list of participants.
Numerous additional sponsorship and vendor opportunities remain for the 2024 Spaceport America Cup. Businesses and organizations may learn more about these opportunities by visiting the sponsorships page of the Spaceport America Cup website.