THE PLAINS, Virginia USA (PRNewswire) — Rolls-Royce, a world leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, today commended the top 100 teams competing in the finals of the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) taking place this weekend in The Plains, VA.

TARC is the world's largest annual national model rocket competition for secondary school students. It is sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR).

James M. Guyette, President & CEO, Rolls-Royce North America said: "Congratulations to those teams participating in the finals, as well as all those who competed in TARC over the past year. TARC is about ensuring the future of our great industry — about encouraging bright, talented, young people to consider a career in aerospace. We are delighted to partner with AIA and NAR to support this competition."

The competition began the year with 690 teams from 48 states and Washington DC — over 7,000 students — making it the largest model rocket contest in the world. Since then, local and regional competitions have narrowed the field and this weekend, the top 100 teams will face off in the finals. Each team is required to design, build and launch a model rocket capable of remaining aloft for exactly 45 seconds and returning its payload of one raw egg safely back to earth. The top ten finalists will share a prize pool totaling $60,000 in scholarships and other prizes.

In addition to being a corporate partner of TARC, this year Rolls-Royce also provided support for finalist teams 5183 and 5184, both from the Great Commission Academy Homeschool Association in Indianapolis, IN. Indianapolis is home to the largest Rolls-Royce manufacturing facility in the US.