HSGC
From June 6 to 12, 2023, the University of Hawai'i Maui College Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology program competed at the American Astronautical Society 2023 CanSat Competition at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The UHMCanSat team included five students: Christian Falcon, Angelica Juarez, Joe Vincent Yuro, Christian Yadao, and Justin Lucas Bio. The team placed 27th overall among the 40 teams that advanced to the launch portion of the competition.
Building A Flight-Ready Payload
The CanSat challenge asked teams from around the world to design and build a rocket payload capable of collecting sensor data during flight after launching roughly 725 meters off the ground. Each team had to move through a NASA-style engineering process that included a Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, Flight Readiness Review, Launch Operations, and a Post Flight Review.
After being selected as one of the U.S. teams, the UHMC students organized their work into six major subsystems: sensor, descent control, mechanical, flight software, electrical power, and ground control station. That structure helped the team coordinate design responsibilities, testing, and final launch preparation.
Christian Yadao reflected that the project taught lessons that go beyond the classroom, combining hands-on engineering practice with project management, teamwork, and communication.
Yadao, a mechanical team member, said the experience exposed the team to many sides of engineering and reinforced the value of technical proficiency as well as the soft skills needed in a real project environment.
Justin Lucas Bio, an electrical team member, shared that the project showed him how essential collaboration is to success. He noted that the team worked well because each person brought useful skills and knowledge that could support the others.
Team leader Christian Falcon described the competition as inspiring and worthwhile, emphasizing that the students not only gained a strong experience for their resumes, but also learned major lessons in programming, electronics design, mechanical engineering, and engineering ethics. He said the team should be proud of building a working flight-ready CanSat and of the progress they made together.
Competition Highlights
Congratulations to team UHMCanSat on all the work they put into the project. The CanSat competition gave the students a chance to apply what they had learned through the ECET program in a demanding, real-world aerospace challenge.
