The Kármán line is defined as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. While the original definition refers to the altitude at which the atmosphere becomes too thin to contribute enough lift to support aeronautical flight, the Kármán line now is internationally recognized to be located at an altitude of 100 kilometers, or 328,084 feet, above Earth’s average sea level (AMSL). Beginning with the German V-2 rocket, the first rocket to cross that threshold, countries have been shooting for space for over half of the past century. Although private companies have been able to reach space and orbit for a few decades, a collegiate team has never independently designed, built and launched a rocket that went to space and was recovered intact. With that knowledge in mind, the USC Rocket Propulsion Lab was founded in 2005 with the goal of being the first student group to do exactly that. A space race arose from universities around the world, as many took incremental steps closer to reaching the Kármán line. Now, 14 years after RPL was created, the collegiate space race has ended; Traveler IV, the latest spaceshot vehicle from the USC Rocket Propulsion Lab, passed the Kármán line on April 21st, 2019.
