100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROBERT GODDARD’S FIRST LIQUID FUELED ROCKET LAUNCH, Mar 13-22, 2026, in and near Auburn, MA

The 100th anniversary of Robert H. Goddard’s first launch of a liquid fueled rocket will be celebrated in and near Auburn, Massachusetts, where the launch took place, from March 13-22, 2026.  Goddard is often heralded as the “Father of the Space Age.”  NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is named in his honor.

The rocket, named Nell, was fueled with liquid oxygen and gasoline.

A number of events are planned as shown on the Goddard100th.org and FirstLaunchCentennial.org websites.

That launch took place on March 16, 1926. Organizers planned to recreate it on March 16, 2026, but a severe weather alert for March 16 has forced them to move it up to March 14 at the last minute.