A rocket needs three things: paper, gunpowder, and a crafting table

A Minecraft rocket is made from paper and gunpowder, combined on a crafting table. You place one gunpowder in the center square, surround it with eight pieces of paper, and you get one rocket. That rocket launches you into the air when you use it while wearing an elytra — a pair of wings you find in the End dimension. Without the elytra, the rocket does nothing useful.

The rocket itself does not require any rare materials. Paper comes from sugar cane, which grows near water. Gunpowder drops from creepers when they die. If you have a farm or a grinder running, you can make dozens of rockets in a few minutes. The real work is getting the elytra and the materials to repair it, since elytra wear out with use.

Key Takeaways

  • Rockets are crafted from one gunpowder surrounded by eight paper on a crafting table, and you need an elytra to use them for flight.
  • Paper comes from sugar cane (three cane make one paper), and gunpowder drops from creepers or can be found in loot chests in the Nether.
  • You find elytra in the End dimension, usually in the End ship that spawns near the exit portal, inside an item frame on the ship's deck.
  • Rockets propel you forward and upward when you glide with the elytra, but they consume durability on the wings with each use.
  • Mending enchantment on your elytra lets you repair it with experience orbs instead of crafting a new pair, making rockets sustainable for long flights.

Where to find gunpowder and paper

Gunpowder is easiest to get from creepers. When a creeper dies, it drops zero to two gunpowder. If you build a creeper farm — a dark room where creepers spawn and fall to their death — you can collect gunpowder passively while you play. Without a farm, you can hunt creepers at night or in caves, but this is slower.

Paper comes from sugar cane. Sugar cane grows in blocks along water, and you harvest it by breaking the middle and top blocks (leave the bottom block so it regrows). Three sugar cane make one paper on a crafting table. If you plant sugar cane in rows next to water channels, you can harvest it repeatedly. One small farm produces enough paper for hundreds of rockets.

Gunpowder also spawns in loot chests in the Nether, particularly in bastions and nether fortresses. If you are early in the game and do not have a creeper farm yet, looting the Nether is faster than hunting creepers one at a time.

How to get an elytra

The elytra spawns in the End dimension, inside the End ship. The End ship is a structure that appears near the exit portal (the one you use to leave the End and return to the Overworld). You need to find the ship, climb or fly to it, and break the item frame holding the elytra to collect it.

The End ship is dangerous. It is surrounded by shulkers (mobs that shoot projectiles and teleport), and the ship itself is high in the air. Bring a bow and arrows, or a sword, and wear armor. If you fall, you die. If you are new to the End, bring a bed — you can set your spawn point by sleeping, so if you die you respawn nearby instead of back at the Overworld.

Once you have the elytra, put it in your chest plate slot (the same slot where you wear armor). It does not protect you like armor does, but it lets you glide. Jump from a high place and hold the spacebar to glide. You fall slowly and can move forward. Rockets push you upward and forward while gliding.

Crafting the rocket on your crafting table

Open your crafting table and place one gunpowder in the center square of the 3×3 grid. Place one paper in each of the eight surrounding squares. This makes one rocket. You can make multiple rockets at once by placing multiple gunpowder in the center and filling the surrounding squares with paper for each one — the table will produce one rocket per gunpowder you place.

Rockets stack to 64 in your inventory, so you can carry a large supply. If you are planning a long flight, bring 20 to 30 rockets. Each rocket propels you once while gliding, so more rockets mean longer flights.

How to use rockets while flying with elytra

Equip the elytra, jump from a high place, and hold spacebar to start gliding. While gliding, hold the use key (right-click on Java Edition, left trigger on console) and hold a rocket in your hand. The rocket launches you forward and upward. You can chain rockets together — as soon as one rocket finishes, use another one. This lets you climb higher and travel farther than gliding alone.

Rockets consume durability on the elytra with each use. The elytra has 432 durability points, and each rocket use costs one durability. After 432 rocket uses, the elytra breaks and you need a new one or you need to repair it.

You can also use rockets while standing on the ground or in the air without gliding, but they do not propel you — they just explode. Rockets only work for flight when you are actively gliding with the elytra equipped.

Repairing elytra so you can use rockets indefinitely

The best way to repair elytra is with the Mending enchantment. Mending is a rare enchantment that you find on books in loot chests (particularly in End cities and bastions) or on fishing rods. Once you have a Mending book, use an anvil to combine it with your elytra. After that, whenever you gain experience orbs, the elytra repairs itself instead of you leveling up.

This means you can use rockets indefinitely, because killing mobs and mining ore generates experience orbs that repair the elytra. You never run out of flight.

If you do not have Mending, you can repair elytra on an anvil using another elytra as the repair material. This costs experience levels and requires you to find multiple elytra, which is slower than using Mending.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make rockets without finding an elytra first?

Yes, you can craft rockets anytime you have paper and gunpowder. But rockets only propel you during flight with an elytra equipped. Without the elytra, rockets do nothing useful — they just explode if you use them on the ground.

What happens if my elytra breaks mid-flight?

Your elytra stops working and you fall. You take fall damage based on how high you were. If you are high enough, you die. Always keep spare rockets and land before your elytra durability gets too low, or use Mending so it repairs automatically.

Do I need to be in Creative mode to build rockets?

No. Rockets are a Survival mode feature. You craft them normally on a crafting table using materials you gather. Creative mode gives you when ready access to rockets and elytra without crafting, but that is not how they work in normal gameplay.

Can I use rockets with other items, like a shield or a sword?

You can hold a rocket in one hand and another item in the other hand. You need the rocket in your hand to use it, so you cannot hold a sword and use a rocket at the same time — you have to switch which item is active. This is why most players use rockets for travel, not combat.