The PayaSTEM PAIROC Rocketry team from Payas, Hatay, has once again secured a spot in the TEKNOFEST Rocket Competition finals. Founded in 2022 and consisting of 11 high‑school students, the team previously won the “Best Team Spirit” award in 2022 and the “Best Advisor” award in 2023.
For this year’s competition they have designed a brand‑new rocket with a polycarbonate airframe. Thanks to its lightweight structure, the rocket is expected to exceed 2,900 meters in altitude. The final round will take place 7–13 September at the Hisar Test Range in Aksaray.
Flight computer and lightweight design
According to Ata Ersoy, instructor at the PayaSTEM Artificial Intelligence Center and the team’s advisor, the rocket’s flight computer was also fully designed by the students. It records altitude, velocity and acceleration during flight and controls the deployment events.
Ersoy explains why they chose polycarbonate for the body:
“Compared to fiberglass, the polycarbonate body is lighter, and that will allow us to reach higher altitude.”
The team’s clear goal this year is not just to reach the finals, but to take first place.
Experience and ambition
Team captain Kayhan Övünç Uysal, a 12th‑grade student at Payas Science High School, notes that they have been competing in the TEKNOFEST Rocket Competition for five years:
“We failed to reach the finals only once; in the other years we made it to the final and launched our rocket. This year we’re more ambitious and expecting a top ranking. Our target is high.”
Software and media lead Zişan Özkay adds that they are proud to be in the finals and aims to push the rocket to the maximum altitude they can achieve, emphasizing that they are following the path of Selçuk Bayraktar and echoing Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s famous quote: “The future is in the skies.”
Source: AA Bilim-Teknoloji
