Welcome to CATO!
CATO is a sport rocketry club formed in February of 1998 as Tripoli SE Connecticut and National Association of Rocketry Section #581. CATO serves the CT sport rocketry community with launch sites in Durham, CT and (occasionally) elsewhere. CATO has a strong family-centric ethic and rocketeers of all ages are always welcome on the flying field at any CATO event. CATO has a strong outreach drive to provide educational rocketry whenever and wherever needed. The most common outreach activity is providing launch site operations to Scouts and similar youth organizations. Several CATO members are also TARC Mentors (The American Rocketry Challenge).
Get Started With CATO!
Interested in an exciting and engaging hobby for all ages? Get started at our next club launch! CATO will help you launch your first filight from start to finish. Experience rocketry firsthand with expert help.
CATO Membership is open to all skill levels and interests in rocketry. if you would like to learn more about membership, contact CATO for more information.
CATO Membership is open to all skill levels and interests in rocketry. if you would like to learn more about membership, contact CATO for more information.
On-field vendors
CATO offers some of the finest rocketry shopping around from our on-field vendors. These local CT business attend most launches and offer a wide variety of kits, motors & accessories for purchase. Contact them directly to confirm availability.
FlisKits
Launch Lab Rocketry
Wildman CT
FlightSketch
FlisKits
Launch Lab Rocketry
Wildman CT
FlightSketch
Harlem Launch Alliance visits CATO
The Harlem Launch Alliance visited CATO for the February launch this year. The team was very well organized and flew many successful flights throughout the day! Visit the team site to learn more about the program.
February Launch Report
February launch ended with much better than expected weather! a great day all around, Peter Waithe & Josh Drummond flew the "Fire and Ice" them with sparkies on the snow.
CATO Featured on NBC
CATO is featured in NBC's Kids Connection special on "Summer Fun" in CT! The show aired on July 30th and can be viewed here.
Did you watch the show and discover rocketry? Send us a message and let us know. We would love to see you at our next launch!
Did you watch the show and discover rocketry? Send us a message and let us know. We would love to see you at our next launch!
May Recap
Some incredible flights from this month's launch! Even a couple of top-secret test flights from CT's own FlisKits and Launch Lab Rocketry!
April Launch Highlight!
CATO's own Josh Drummand flew a high power rocket and recovered it on french fries! His hand made chute looks even better than the real deal.
Special Event for November
It's that time of year again... November at CATO is Pumpkin season! It's time for the annual Pumpkin lofting contest. The rules are simple, pumpkin that is aloft for the longest time, AND successfully returned to the RSO table, is the winner. We will have pumpkins on site to fly with that will fit in a standard 4" airframe. Winner gets bragging rights until it is time to defend the title next year.
October Launch Report
October Launch Was A Success! After watching the forecast all week, we had a soggy field but clear skies for our October launch. Conditions in the air turned out to be not bad at all and we got in a full day of flying.
Picture of the Month - Sept
Congratulations to Alex, who had a perfect L1 Certification flight! The September launch was a bit windy in the morning but calmed down to pretty good conditions in the afternoon. Lots of very nice flights all day with only a few wandering towards the trees...