NASA Cansat 2024
Team AstroHow It Started
Back in university, I missed a mid-term exam because I didn't check the official website for schedule updates during COVID. That frustration led me to build a Discord notification bot for UIU. That bot got me connected with the tech community on campus, which eventually led to an invitation to join Team UIU Astro in 2022.
Our first attempt at the CanSat competition didn't make it past the first round. We learned a lot from that failure.
What is CanSat
CanSat is an annual student competition organized by the American Astronautical Society, sponsored by NASA, the US Naval Research Lab, and Siemens. Teams design and build a satellite capsule that fits inside a standard soda can. The capsule launches to around 700 meters, deploys, and has to complete a mission sequence during descent. It simulates real satellite operations on a small scale.
80 teams entered the 2024 competition. 31 made it to the finals in Virginia, USA.
The 2024 Run
The second time around, things were different. We qualified for the finals, becoming the first team from Bangladesh to do so. I led the software team, handling the onboard systems and ground station software that tracked and communicated with the capsule during flight.
In June 2024, we flew to Monterey, Virginia for the final round. Four days of launch preparations, testing, and competition.
The Result
We placed 11th globally and 3rd in Asia. First from Bangladesh.
For a team that couldn't get past the first round two years earlier, standing on that field in Virginia representing our university and our country meant everything.
The Team
This wasn't a solo effort. UIU Astro had ten members across mechanical, electrical, and software divisions: Md Zidan Talukder, Anika Tabassum Orchi, Md Efty Alamgir, Md Darain Khan, Abdullah Al Saad, Provat Kundu, M Abdullah Khan, Md Shamsuzzaman and Md Farhan Zaman. Everyone had a role and everyone delivered.
Throughout this journey I met some of the most amazing people I know. We spent months working late, solving problems together, and pushing through setbacks. What started as a university project turned into real friendships. I will always be grateful to a few of them. They were great friends during this whole thing and I love them for it.
What It Meant
This journey started with a missed exam and a Discord bot. It ended with representing Bangladesh at an international space technology competition in the United States. Sometimes the side projects you build out of frustration take you places you never planned for.
