StellarXplorers Crowns 2024-2025 National Space Design Competition Champions  

The Air & Space Forces Association’s 2024-2025 StellarXplorers National Space Design Competition champion is “The Stellar Warriors” from Troy High School Navy Junior ROTC, in Fullerton, Calif.  

The StellarXplorers season began with 375 teams from across the country, competing in four rounds of online competition where they solved orbit planning, satellite design, and launch operations missions. Ten teams qualified for the National Finals, a challenging, two-day competition held April 24-25 at the Denver Sheraton Tech Center Hotel in Greenwood Village, Colo. The Stellar Warriors not only claimed first place, but they are the first-ever Navy JROTC unit to participate in the StellarXplorers competition. This year’s season saw several other firsts, including the first-ever middle school team, the first-ever all-female team, and the first-ever two-person team to qualify for a National Finals Competition. 

“StellarXplorers is a great opportunity to engage today’s youth in STEM challenges relevant to today and our future,” said Stellar Warriors Team Director, CMD William Lauper, USN, (Ret.)  

Sophomore Team Captain Merritt Lee said, “StellarXplorers was the first club that I joined in NJROTC. The connections made in the program have really become a central part to my high school career.” 

Other top finishers from this season’s StellarXplorers National Finals Competition include: 

• Second place, “Space Jam” from The Science Academy STEM Magnet in North Hollywood, Calif. 

• Third place, “Pather#5” from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estate, Calif. 

Learn more about the teams that competed by viewing the official StellarXplorers National Finals Event Program. A photo album from the entire National Finals Competition, awards ceremony, and more can be found on Flickr. More photos will be posted soon. 

“Year after year, I am amazed by what these students are able to achieve,” StellarXplorers Director Rebecca Dalton said. “Their creativity, technical skills, and teamwork are truly inspiring, and this year’s competition showcased some of the most impressive talent we’ve seen yet. These young innovators give us great hope for the future of the space industry.” 

While in the area, teams also had the opportunity to explore the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum and learn about a variety of career opportunities and pathways in the space sector, hearing firsthand from U.S. Space Force personnel and a group of industry representatives from United Launch Alliance, L3Harris, Northrop Grumman, and Ansys Government Initiatives.  

Through its annual competition and summer camps nationwide, the StellarXplorers Space STEM Program, created by the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA), inspires high school and middle school students toward careers in space, aviation, and other science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future.   

StellarXplorers is generously supported by Air & Space STEM Outreach, L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Nova Space, Ansys Government Initiatives, United Launch Alliance, the Bahethi Family Foundation, BAE Systems, BlueHalo, and General Atomics Sciences Education Foundation.  

About StellarXplorers  

The StellarXplorers Space STEM Program, created by the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA), inspires high school and middle school students toward careers in space and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future. The StellarXplorers National Space Design Competition provides specific training in the use of system simulation software, Systems Tool Kit (STK), as well as an interactive online course as a curriculum supplement and study resource for online quizzes given during the competition.  

About AFA  

The Air & Space Forces Association is an independent, non-profit 501(c)3 association dedicated to advocating for investment and support for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, and for supporting Airmen, Guardians, and their Families. Founded in 1946, AFA is the single largest entity of its kind focused on air and space power. With more than 120,000 members and 200 chapters spread around the world, our mission is to promote dominant U.S. Air and Space Forces as the foundation of a strong National Defense; to honor and support Airmen, Guardians, and their Families; and to remember and respect the enduring heritage of the Air and Space Forces.