A year after a failed rocket launch, Arbalest Rocketry – a student club from York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering – returned to Launch Canada and soared to success.
Team Arbalest’s success at Launch Canada 2025 – the country’s largest student rocketry challenge – began with disappointment a year earlier.
In 2024, the York University team travelled to Timmins, Ont., with Goose 4, the fourth iteration of its high-powered rocket series. Launch Canada draws student teams from across the country, challenging them to design, build and safely launch rockets under strict technical and safety standards. Participants are rated on technical execution and safety, with successful flights or demonstrations carrying the most weight in the final ranking.
Goose 4 needed to launch to be ranked against more than a dozen post-secondary teams that built rockets ranging up to 18 feet in length. Earlier versions had earned Team Arbalest national recognition, raising expectations for a strong performance.
But months of preparation couldn’t overcome a faulty launch rail mechanism and an unexpected electronics issue arising during the launch window, leaving Goose 4 grounded. For members like Nathan Minuk, it was a disappointment they hoped never to repeat.
A third-year mechanical engineering student, Minuk joined the team a few months earlier as a manufacturing assistant, driven by a passion for rocketry. Shortly after Launch Canada 2024, he accepted the role of vice-president, aiming to help the club rebuild after several members departed and Goose 4 remained inoperable.
Lessons from the failed launch shaped the team’s focus on overhauling the rocket’s avionics – the onboard electronics that control flight and ensure safety. A robust avionics system was critical – not only to get Goose 4 off the launch pad next time, but also to meet Launch Canada’s strict technical and safety standards. This required recruiting members with electrical and programming skills.
Minuk reached out to friends, fellow students and members of other York clubs, including the York University Robotics Society, rapidly expanding the team to tackle the technical challenges ahead.
He considered new members with an approach mirroring York’s emphasis on experiential education. “We didn’t look for specific skills,” says Minuk. “We looked for initiative. If the person is willing to learn, then they'll develop all the skills they need.”
Soon the team was 70 per cent new members who began learning through mentorship, hands-on workshops, research papers and tutorials Minuk organized with faculty and external experts. The approach ensured the team remained self-sufficient while giving students a real-world, project-based learning experience.
Over the course of the year, the team built and tested new avionics systems, redesigned components and improved the rocket’s launch stability.
Despite best efforts, Team Arbalest’s return to Timmins for Launch Canada 2025 began with a hiccup: one of the two motors for Goose 4 was missing. After a mix-up with retrieving the misplaced motor, three team members drove 12 hours overnight to get the correct motor, returning by morning. With just two days left, they raced to prepare the rocket for launch.
During the competition, the team connected with Robin Metcalfe, an associate professor in the Faculty of Science who teaches a course on space flight. She was attending Launch Canada for the first time as a volunteer, interviewing student teams, and saw firsthand the York team’s efforts.
She was struck by the students' determination. “Their resiliency under tremendous pressure was truly inspiring,” she says. “Building and launching rockets is really hard. Most teams encounter at least one unexpected technical problem and aborted launches are common. Under these high-stress and time-sensitive conditions, the Arbalest team exhibited problem solving at its very best.”
Even though she was not an official team member, she could feel the pressure as they worked to get the rocket ready. “There’s so much at stake. They spend years building these things, and then it all comes down to that one moment.”
Team Arbalest’s moment came on Aug. 21.
Goose 4 launched successfully, reaching an altitude of 13,000 feet. For the new members, it was a thrilling first success; for Minuk, it marked the finale of a year-long journey. “It was nice to finally see this project have its conclusion. We persevered in the end,” he says.
That perseverance translated into strong results: Team Arbalest earned fifth place in the Advanced Category and third place in the Payload Challenge, which evaluates a rocket’s ability to carry a payload that performs a useful scientific or technological function.
“They learned from each failure and applied it immediately. That’s what made the difference,” says Metcalfe.
Minuk left Launch Canada 2025 viewing Goose 4 as symbolic: it represented a transformed team ready to tackle more ambitious goals. Now serving as president of Team Arbalest, Minuk is guiding the club as it plans to compete in Launch Canada’s Tech Development category, which challenges participants to design, test and optimize critical rocket systems. This competition will require technical skills, creativity and problem-solving at a level closer to professional aerospace engineering.
The team also aims to improve non-technical aspects of the club, such as funding. Students have, at times, covered expensive components themselves, but with additional support, they could pursue international competitions and compete with top teams worldwide. Recognizing the team’s potential, Metcalfe has stepped in to help secure sponsorships and grant opportunities, easing some of the financial challenges that had weighed on previous projects.
Riding a wave of success, Minuk is now looking ahead with a different mindset than he had after Launch 2024. “I feel a lot more confident going into Launch Canada next year,” he says.
But Metcalfe has even higher hopes. “Once they have the resources that other teams have, the possibilities will be incredible,” she says.