Launch Pad

Big Sky Rocketry Association 2024 Season News:

Bridge Closure - The bridge that leads to the road to Melrose has been closed following an inspection that revealed structural support problems. Two alternative routes exist.

The shortest for folks coming from the east is to drive through Twin Bridges and take Seyler Lane, which is just across from the airport road. Seyler winds around a little and eventually becomes the East Bench Road. Follow the East Bench Road until you come to Silver Bow Lane. Turn onto Silver Bow Lane and follow it until it comes out on Montana Highway 41. Head north on 41 until you get back to the Melrose highway just outside of Twin Bridges. Notice: I haven't driven this road and I don't know what to expect.

The other route, which is what I would recommend for anyone coming from Butte, is to simply take I-15 south from Butte and turn at Melrose.

If anyone gets lost, call my cell phone at (406) 490-7855 and I'll see if I can send someone to find you.

New Schedule - The 2024 schedule is up on the Launch Schedule page.

Dues - It's time once again for all BSRA members to submit dues. We will also have a donation jar for the porta-potty. There will be no porta-potty for the March launch because I wasn't sure there would be a launch.

First launch is March 9, 2024. The weather looks like it will be cool but sunny. There may be some wind gusts, but average wind speed will be in the single digits. The high temperature may be in the low 40 degree range. It doesn't appear that there will be any chance of precipitation. I have activated the waiver to 20,000 feet AGL.

Big Sky Rocketry Association 2023 Season News:

November Launch Cancelled - Due to high wind we have cancelled the November 11, 2023 launch.

August Launch Cancelled - Due to fire danger we have cancelled the August 12, 2023 launch.

New Schedule - The 2023 schedule is up on the Launch Schedule page.

Dues - It's time once again for all BSRA members to submit dues. We didn't collect dues last year because of the shortened launch season in 2020, due to the pandemic and the fire season, but we simply cannot afford to do that this year. Porta-potties don't pay for themselves. :-)

Big Sky Rocketry Association 2022 Season News:

November 5 Launch - Saturday, November 5, is cancelled due to weather. A very high probability of rain is forecast for Saturday: 60-81% depending on which online weather service you look at! The following week doesn't look good either, so this marks the end of our launches for 2022. See you in March sometime!

October 15 Launch - Saturday, October 15 is Go for Launch! We will be vigilant for dry grass and manure as fuel sources and we will rake loose materials away from the launch pad before commencing for the day. The weather is forecast to be partly cloudy with low 60°F temperatures. Bring sunshade, a chair, a sweatshirt or light jacket, and water for sure. The range will be open from 10 to 5 and the COA has been activated up to 28,000 MSL (about 22,000 above ground level at the launch site.) I hope to see you there!

September 17 Launch - Saturday, September 17 has been canceled. Since cancelling the August launch the weather has continued to be unseasonably hot, breaking several daily temperature records. Our BLM contact confirmed our suspicions and asked that we not launch. Relief does appear to be in sight however as beginning today (9-9-2022) the temperature is forecast to be cooler. I hope to see you all in October.

August 13 Launch - Saturday, August 13 has been canceled. For the past two weeks (today is August 5) we have had hotter than normal temperatures and high winds. There are three fires burning in Montana presently, including one which started in East Helena yesterday. The next week is forecast to have continued high temperatures. There's just no responsible way for us to launch. Hopefully September will be an improvement.

July 16 Launch - Saturday, July 16 appears that it will be the first launch we have had in July in years. The wet early summer has helped hold fire danger down to a manageable level, but we don't want to get complacent. We will be vigilant for dry grass and manure as fuel sources and we will rake loose materials away from the launch pad before commencing for the day. The weather is forecast to be mostly sunny with up to 90°F temperatures. Bring sunshade and water for sure. The range will be open from 10 to 5 and the COA has been activated up to 28,000 MSL (about 22,000 above ground level at the launch site.) I hope to see you there!

June 25 Launch (success) - I'm editing this post-launch. This was one of the very nicest days we've ever had for launching. The wind was very mild almost all the time and the skies were clear. Temperatures were in the 60-70 range. I wore a tee-shirt all day and had a great time. We launched 15 rockets.

May 21 Launch (success) - Our regularly scheduled launch for Saturday, May 21 is still planned. The weather looks like it will be better than our May 7 launch: warmer, less wind, and less precipitation, but also a possibility of clouds. The launch will run from 10 AM to 5 PM at our usual location halfway between Twin Bridges and Melrose. I hope to see you all there!

May 7 Launch (success!) - We are set to launch tomorrow, but be aware that it might be windy with a pretty good chance of showers. We're going to go and set up to launch anyway. The launch will begin at 10 AM and last until 5 PM, weather permitting. I've activated the waiver to 20,000 feet above the launch site elevation.

Afternoons are usually slightly windier than mornings, so be ready to launch as soon as possible. We will have some Civil Air Patrol cadets launching which should be great. I've worked with these cadets and their officers and I have been very impressed by their intelligence, the quality of their work, and how well they have paid attention. This will be new to them so please welcome them.

April Launch - Due to impending weather, the April 23rd launch is cancelled and will be rescheduled to Saturday, May 7, which is day before Mother's Day (in case any of you needed a little reminder!)

New Schedule - The new schedule is up on the Launch Schedule page.

Elections - Calvin McAllister was reelected as Prefect and Steve Shannon was reelected as Secretary.