Comprising students from the departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and Computer Engineering, the 1,5 Adana Rocket Team represented Türkiye at IREC in Midland, Texas, US.
The competition was held from June 15 to 20, with 141 teams from 25 countries taking part. The team finished second in the James Barrowman Flight Prediction Accuracy Award after predicting the target altitude with 99.92% accuracy.
They worked on the rocket’s design and production
The students designed a rocket to conduct scientific measurements in specific layers of the atmosphere and carry experimental payloads to high altitudes. They also worked on the project’s electronics, software and production processes. The team’s work was carried out with the support of ROKETSAN, TÜBİTAK and Turkish Airlines.
After delivering its payload to the target altitude, the rocket returns to the ground in a controlled manner by parachute. This feature makes the rocket reusable.
TEKNOFEST preparations continue
After returning from the US competition with second place, the team turned its focus to the TEKNOFEST rocket competition, which will be held in Aksaray from September 7 to 14. The students are continuing production and testing work ahead of the competition.
Team captain Muhammed Mustafa Kemal Karaoğlu said it was a source of pride to receive an award among 141 teams in the US. Karaoğlu said the award recognized the precision of the flight at the competition and validated their analysis, production and design work.
Egemen Büyükaltay, a Mechanical Engineering student, said the rocket they designed reached an altitude of 10,000 feet during the competition. Büyükaltay said they were aiming for first place at TEKNOFEST after finishing second in the US.
Berke Demirtaş said the team would take part in TEKNOFEST with two rockets and was targeting the championship.
