Paulines Warwick Holmes, Sam Richards and Gigi O’Rourke have contributed to the University’s success.

Main image: The USYD Rocketry Team celebrates their victory in Texas. Pauline Gigi O’Rourke (front centre) holds the 10k Hybrid Launch trophy.
Image credit: The University of Sydney

The University of Sydney Rocketry Team has soared to global success, defeating more than 150 international teams to win the world’s largest student rocketry competition—with key contributions from members of St Paul’s College.

Their rocket, Pardalote, claimed first place in the 10k Hybrid Launch Vehicle category at the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) in Midland, Texas. The event, held over six days in June in extreme heat and windstorms, drew 156 student teams from 19 countries. Of the launches attempted, 136 were successful.

Pardalote reached an altitude of 10,342 feet (3.15 km)—just 3.42% off the target—setting a new record for apogee accuracy in the competition’s nearly 20-year history.

A Legacy of Mentorship and Innovation

The IREC, run by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA), has been held annually since 2006 and gained international status in 2011. Sydney’s success is no accident—it is built on years of leadership and mentorship, particularly from Pauline Warwick Holmes (St Paul’s College 1981–82).

Warwick, former Executive Director of Space Engineering in the School of Aeronautical Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, led Sydney University to world championship wins in 2019 and 2022. He mentored lead engineer Mitch Galletly, a PhD student, and introduced the team to European spacecraft engineering standards—a move that made Sydney University the first Australian university accepted into the competition.

Two of Warwick’s top students from the 2019 team have since secured roles at DLR, the German National Space Agency, thanks to his guidance and international connections.

Left: This photo shows the first victorious USYD Rocketry Team, with Warwick Holmes at the centre. In 2019, he arranged the test firing of their SilverEye rocket on a farm near Dubbo—marking the first time an Australian university team was accepted into the prestigious Spaceport America Cup in New Mexico. The team not only won their category but achieved the highest score in the competition’s 11-year history. 

Warwick taught the team how to use the most advanced Engineering standards (called ECSS) which I used when I worked with the European Space Agency (ESA) for building the big rockets and satellites.  I showed the team how to use these very advanced standards and processes, but scaled down (“tailoring” is the word used) to make the first USyd World Champion Rocket called “SilverEye”.  How did all this work so well, because USyd have the most exceptional Engineering students!  Just like Gigi and Austin at St. Paul’s!

Warwick is also assisting another current Pauline, Austin Marwick, fourth year Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Bachelor of Science, who is hoping for an internship with DLR in 2026.

Pictured left: current students in Aeronautical (Space) Engineering Stream find inspiration from the past, inspecting the rocket Bluewren which won in 2022 and is displayed in the Faculty of Engineering.

2025 Team: New Faces, Same Spirit

This year, Warwick is taking part in the undergraduate mentoring program at St Paul’s being a mentor to Gigi O’Rourke, a third-year student in Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic)(Space). Gigi is also in her third year at Paul’s and is one of the growing number of interstate residents. Her home is in Leith a small semi-rural locality on the central north coast of Tasmania. Gigi is a member of the 2025 winning rocketry team and she is its project manager. Having a leadership role as a member of the three-person executive she has many responsibilities for the development and operations of the rocketry program.

“Paul’s has given me empowerment to chase after my dreams. Being within the College community has helped shape my pathway with the strong surrounding of engineering students who share so many of their capabilities.”

Gigi O’Rourke

The student-led rocketry team designed, built, tested, and launched Pardalote—including developing the propulsion system and ground infrastructure. Their success was underpinned by a strong team culture and rigorous engineering discipline.

From Tasmania to Texas: Gigi’s Journey of Precision

In 2024 the team conducted extensive testing near Goulburn, followed by a full-scale test flight at Tolarno Station in Menindee, western NSW in April 2025. These trials were critical in validating the hybrid propulsion system and ensuring mission success in Texas.

Pictured left:  Gigi working on the propulsion system at the testing facilities which are on the University’s farm ‘Athursleigh’ near Marulan NSW. The farm is one of the 900 Ha network of University-owned farmland in south-western and north-western NSW supporting the core teaching and research activities of the Schools of Veterinary Science, of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Sydney Institute of Agriculture.

This testing tradition began in 2017 when Warwick Holmes transformed the USYD Rocketry Team by introducing spacecraft engineering standards and emphasizing the importance of full-scale ground testing. He led early teams to Trangie, where they conducted critical flight component tests, laying the groundwork for the team’s current success.

Warwick praised the 2025 team’s precision: “Knowing exactly when to shut down the engines within milliseconds to coast to 10,000 feet is an extraordinary engineering feat, especially given the variability in air pressure, temperature, humidity, and thrust.”

Pictured left: Gigi O’Rourke and her colleagues preparing Pardalote at the Menindee testing-launch in April

Gigi told USYD News: “Launching far from the comfort of our own Australian backyard, Pardalote’s performance on American soil not only broke records of accuracy but established a new standard for what an undergraduate team can accomplish.”

Living and Learning at St Paul’s

Gigi credits her time at St Paul’s College for supporting her academic and professional growth:

“Living so close to my faculty, with wholesome meals, a Blacket-designed room charged with history, and a community of high-achieving peers, has made all the difference.”

Sam Richards, in College 2022-24, has been part of the Sydney University Rocketry team since the start of 2024 and is an engineer in the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) subsystem. Sam is completing his honours year in Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic). Sam’s father, Tony is also a Pauline (1981-84) and studied Economics at Sydney, Masters of Public Administration at Harvard and PhD at George Washington University and today works in policy at the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Pictured below: Gigi O’Rourke and Sam Richards stand next to Pardalote during its testing in early 2024 at Menindee.

Learn more about the technical side of the project in the full article on University of Sydney News CLICK HERE

Pictured left: representing Australia, the USYD Rocketry Team in Midland Texas with the Trophy for overall winner of the 2025 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC)