A TEAM of students from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), representing the country in a prestigious rocket competition in the United States, is seeking sponsorship to cover the cost of participation.
WAU Rocketry USM is looking to compete again in the Spaceport America Cup this year after excelling in 2022.
Team project director Vanmitha Athimoolam, 23, said the challenge faced was in being able to cover participation costs for the competition in June.
“Apart from the technical guide, financial assistance is a big issue for us. Bringing the team to the competition requires a lot of money,” she said.
Vanmitha said the students were currently raising funds and seeking sponsorship to cover the participation costs.
She said the team had so far raised RM80,000 out of their goal of RM371,000.
She is hoping industry players in the country, especially those related to aerospace, would help the team.
“Looking at the participants from other countries, most of them are funded by their respective aerospace industry, so we are hoping the same here.”
However, she said they haven’t found such support yet.
WAU Rocketry USM was formed in 2021 and has successfully taken Malaysia to the global stage in the rocketry field.
The team of 12 engineering students was selected to compete in the competition in 2022 where they designed, built and launched Malaysia’s first student- made sounding rocket, which they named Hebat.
A sounding rocket is also called a probe rocket or a suborbital rocket.
Vanmitha (front row, in collared shirt) with her team members holding the Hebat II rocket. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
Held annually in New Mexico, the Spaceport America Cup is the world’s largest intercollegiate rocket conference and rocket launch competition.
The team’s inaugural participation secured them seventh place out of 46 teams in the 10,000ft (3,048m) category and 12th out of 99 teams worldwide.
This year the team has expanded into a club with over 30 members committed to driving innovation in rocketry and inspiring young generations to pursue careers in the space sector.
The team has been selected again to compete in the competition and is set to represent the country with its new rocket Hebat II.
The students built the rocket using a wet layup method and split mould.
It will carry a 3U CubeSat experimental payload weighing about four kilogrammes and an onboard camera to record flight footage.
The team, which is competing in the 10,000ft category, aims to place Malaysia among the top five in the competition.
Earlier during a simple ceremony, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang handed over RM10,000 as a form of support from the ministry.
Chang said he hoped the public, especially industry players, would support the team.
“We need to give these students encouragement. It should not only come from the government but also from society and the industry.
“I hope industry players come in to support the students in their effort,” he said.
