LAUNCH is a student-run aerospace engineering competition for high school teams organized by the Columbia Space Initiative (CSI) at Columbia University. Each year, teams are challenged to design, build, and test small launch systems and payloads that complete a specific mission profile, such as delivering a payload to a certain altitude or performing in‑flight data collection. The competition combines aspects of rocketry, engineering design, and scientific experimentation. The program is open to high school students (typically grades 9–12) in the United States and is intended for those interested in aerospace, mechanical engineering, and applied physics. Teams work over several months on their designs and then submit documentation and present their projects to judges, with final events hosted by CSI. Participants gain hands‑on experience in aerospace engineering, project management, safety, and technical communication, and benefit from mentorship and feedback from Columbia University students and faculty.