The HEZARFEN team from Istanbul Technical University won first place in the traditional Micro Satellite Competition, organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Space (AIAA) and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Texas, USA.
In a competition featuring 21 teams from some of the world's best universities, including the University of Michigan, Virginia Tech, UCSD, and IIT, ITU emerged victorious, leaving all its rivals behind. Sponsored by NASA, Ball Aerospace, Naval Research Laboratory, Praxis, and SolidWorks, the competition saw ITU's HEZARFEN team achieve the highest scores in both the final design report and flight performance for the first time, surpassing its competitors.
The micro-satellite, uniquely designed and manufactured by the HEZARFEN Team of the ITU Aeronautics and Space Sciences Control and Avionics Laboratory, was launched from a rocket reaching an altitude of approximately 5000 feet and successfully landed by parachute. During launch and landing, the satellite transmitted GPS position, speed, pressure, and temperature data to the ground station. At an altitude of 1500 feet, the payload module and service module separated in a controlled manner, and the payload module landed undamaged.
