TULCAN SAT, a team composed of students and graduates from the Physics Engineering and Systems Engineering programs, secured eighth place among 121 teams from 20 countries.

On May 26, the TULCAN SAT team, formed by students and alumni of Universidad del Cauca, achieved eighth place among 121 teams in the 2025 CanSat World Cup, a competition organized by the University Space Program (PEU) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

This outstanding performance positioned TULCAN SAT as the best Colombian team in the sixth edition of the competition, which brought together 717 students from 61 higher education institutions across 20 countries. The team belongs to the Aerospace Engineering Research Seedbed – SIA, affiliated with the Dynamic Systems, Instrumentation and Control (SIDICO) research group of the Physics Department, as well as the IEEE AESS Unicauca Student Chapter. The team is made up of the following Physics Engineering students: Edwin Francisco Valdés Arias, Brayan Alexander Moreno Trullo, William Alberto Jiménez Muñoz, Lucerito Elizabeth Yama Guerrero, Brian Geoffrey Bolaños Ceballos, Javier Felipe Ruiz Ramos; Juan Alejandro Cárdenas Urbano from the Systems Engineering program; Santiago Alejandro Zúñiga Melo and Vanessa Yanza López, graduates of the Physics Engineering program; and Wilfrand Pérez Urbano, professor of the Physics Department, serving as technical advisor.

The device is released with the help of a drone. Photo: Víctor Hugo Sánchez.

The competition involved the design, construction, and testing of a two-unit CubeSat capable of measuring atmospheric variables, transporting a payload (egg, seeds, and water), transmitting real-time data to a ground station, and implementing a descent system using an autogyro. The CanSat World Cup 2025 is an international contest where student teams design, build, and launch a satellite the size of a soda can (CanSat). The goal is to provide participants with hands-on experience in space systems development.

The TULCAN SAT team extends its gratitude to the Physics Department, the Office of Inter-Institutional and International Relations, and the Vice-Rector’s Offices for Research and Academic Affairs for their support.

Written by: Communications Management Center