Northwestern University team launches rocket into space after a decade of development

EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) — A team at Northwestern University has spent the last decade working on a rocket. The goal was to send it to space to take an image of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, a star in the constellation that exploded.

On Sunday, the team launched their rocket.

“People just went wild,” said Tali Figeroa-Feliciano, project lead. “People started screaming and jumping up and down. It was mayhem.”

By looking at the lights from these explosions, scientists can learn how stars die and create the materials that form planets like ours.

“This is a prelude to future X-ray telescopes,” said Figeroa-Feliciano.

The team picked the rocket back up Monday. It will now head back to Northwestern to be refurbished.