The Texas Rocket Engineering Lab (TREL) was established through a $1,000,000 commitment by Firefly Academy to UT. This commitment was made in order to help the students build the first student-built rocket to pass 100 km. The Base11 Space Challenge was announced soon after the commitment was made. The Base11 Space Challenge will award $1,000,000 to the first student team to launch a rocket to 100 km.
In addition to the financial commitment, Firefly Academy has also organized lectures, mentorship, and testing for TREL through its partnership with Firefly Aerospace. Firefly Aerospace employees lecture to TREL students regarding how to build a rocket. In addition, Firefly Academy is currently helping TREL sublease a portion of Firefly Aerospace’s test site. This lease will allow TREL students to safely test their hardware with Firefly Aerospace guidance.