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BROWNSVILLE — Every few months, thousands of people gather on nearby shores to watch rockets lift off from Boca Chica Beach. The eyes of residents — young and old — gaze up as SpaceX tests its vehicles to one day take humans to Mars.

Now, high school students here are being offered the opportunity to design, build and launch a rocket of their own.

The South Texas Astronomical Society, known as STARSociety for short, is accepting applications for Project Vortex, an initiative that will give high school students first-hand experience in building a rocket to launch it in the spring.

Lizzie Flores, executive director

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