A team of Computer Science and Engineering students of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) has become the first Bangladeshi group to be selected for the Student CanSat Competition of the American Astronautical Society (AAS).
The competition, scheduled to be held in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA, from June 8-11, 2023, will see Team IUB FabSat compete against 41 other teams from around the globe.
Key objectives include promoting innovative and creative thinking in the field of space exploration and providing students with hands-on experience in designing and building space-related systems.
The IUB FabSat project involves the development of a compact “Can-sized satellite” or CanSat in short, that is designed for being launched by a rocket and collecting data on various environmental factors, taking photographs of the Earth, and performing scientifically challenging experiments.
The CanSat will be equipped with sensors, a camera, a parachute, and a heat shield, among other components, to ensure that it can withstand the harsh conditions of the launch and descent. It was designed at the IUB Fabrication Lab, which was developed under the UGC’s HEQEP project and is one of the few highly functioning fabrication labs in Bangladesh.
The IUB team consists of Iftekharul Alam, Md Mahmudul Kabir Peyal, Noor E Sadman, Hasibur Rahman, Fayed Al Monir, Tahfizul Hasan Zihan, Hana Sultan Chowdhuri, Shirazim Munir Deap, Mohammad Faizul Hossain, and Rubayed Mehedi Anik. The team is supported and guided by Dr. Mahady Hasan, Interim Dean of IUB’s School of Engineering, Technology and Sciences, and Prof. Dr. Mohammed Anwer.
During the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) presentation earlier this year, the team showcased their design, simulation and engineering concepts, as well as their software development and testing procedures.