Astral has made history as the first Malaysian team to become a finalist in the prestigious model satellite competition at Teknofest, competing against 165 teams and securing a spot among the top 15.
Teknofest, held in Türkiye, is one of the world’s largest technology and aerospace events, showcasing groundbreaking innovations and engineering talent from around the globe. The competition challenged participants to design, build, and launch model satellites that replicate real-world satellite capabilities.
Astral’s model satellite features an advanced filtering module capable of capturing images in different colors, simulating the bandwidth filtering used in actual satellite systems. It also includes an autonomous separation mechanism for payload deployment and provides valuable data on location, gyroscopic orientation, acceleration, temperature, pressure, altitude, humidity, and more.
The team’s journey to the finals was not easy. They passed nine rigorous stages over the course of eight months, designing and building a rocket from scratch to launch their satellite. Their passion, spirit, and dedication have propelled them to this incredible achievement.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our sponsors and support system for making this journey possible: the School of Aerospace Engineering USM, BHEPA USM, Yayasan Perkasa (Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi), Aerospace Business Unit, Kelab Peminat Radio Amatur dan Rekreasi (REAKSI), and all our generous crowdfunders. Your support has been invaluable to our success.
A special shoutout to the dedicated members of Astral:
• Dr. Aiffah Mohd Ali
• Aini Syafiqah Che Embi
• Fatin Shuhada Mohamad Rozi
• Nur Aliyah Md Saad
• Devindranthaver A/L Mariappan
• Meven Navinash Arul
• Seaan Manuel Pillay
• Ismail Mohamed Shorhami
Congratulations once again to Astral for representing Malaysia and Universiti Sains Malaysia with such excellence and for reaching this remarkable milestone at Teknofest.
Text: Dr A'iffah and Aini
Photo: Dr A'iffah, Aini, Shaun, Alia and Meven
