UIS team was Latin American champion in important international rocketry event

UIS students were the only participants from Colombia in the rocketry competition.

Members of the UIS Aerospace Rocketry Semillero won first place in the ‘CanSat’ category, and were also the best in the combined categories (‘Cubesat’ and ‘CanSat’), results that positioned the young people as Latin American champions in the area of satellites, during the Latin American Space Challenge.

This is the second most important rocketry competition in the world and in addition to representing the UIS, the Semillero students were the only Colombian participants in the event held in Sao Paulo (Brazil).

“We were competing in two categories, one with the Orion rocket in ‘3km high rocket’ and the other in ‘Satellites’. Orion exploded at launch due to a major failure generated by the ignition system (provided by the event organization). There an overpressure was generated inside the combustion chamber of the rocket engine and the top cover of the engine came out of its place which caused the explosion. In the other category we had the ‘CanSat’ type satellite that we call GuaneSat, designed and built by part of the team, led by UIS electronic engineer, Luis Fernando Niño”, said Julián Rodríguez Ferreira, professor of the School of Electrical, Electronic and Telecommunications Engineering and director of the Cemos Research Group and the UIS Aerospace Semillero UIS.

He has been one of the leaders and guides of the process that is being carried out with the students who are part of the Semillero.

“The professor is an example to follow, he is a graduate of Electronics of the UIS and Astrophysicist, he is an example in the whole subject of aerospace science and together with him we seek to leave the name of the University and Colombia at the highest level”, said Juan Martin Vivas Camargo, student of Electronic Engineering and member of the UIS Aerospace Rocketry Seminar.

The tasks to participate in the Latin American Space Challenge began at the beginning of 2022 because the design and engineering activities of the rocket and its components had to be carried out, in addition to the small CanSat type satellite on board Orion.

Julian Rodriguez Ferreira has been the leader of the young people.

“We are happy, this has been a process, the seedbed started with only four students, it was special the weekend when we tested the engine and that it worked. When you look back and see the process of the students and the schools that support us, it gives us a lot of satisfaction. We are putting the UIS as a leader in Colombia in the development of systems in rocketry lines and solid projects in alliances with the Colombian Air Force and other universities. We do high-level science from our undergraduate students with research seedlings,” added Rodriguez Ferreira.

During the trip they also shared with Carlos Augusto Teixeira, director of the Brazilian Space Agency, and Daniel Lavouras, deputy director of the Science and Technology Dissemination program of the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology, a fact that broadened the students’ learning experience.

The UIS team was made up of 18 people from different areas of knowledge, who from their respective roles contributed to achieve optimal results in Brazil and return to Colombia with more motivation to continue working for science.