Filipino students win third place in international CanSat competition

Filipino students from DepEd Rizal National Science High School placed third in the CanSat Competition of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-32) Space Education for All Working Group (SE4AWG), held in Thailand from 29 to 31 October 2026.

Representing the Philippines, the students demonstrated their skills in designing, building, and operating a CanSat, a small satellite-like device designed to carry out a mission using onboard sensors and equipment.

To address environmental challenges such as upland soil erosion and lowland flooding, the team equipped its CanSat with specialized sensors and an onboard camera.

Its primary mission involved collecting real-time environmental data, including temperature, pressure, humidity, altitude, and ultraviolet (UV) index, while capturing images of highland and lowland areas to assess flood susceptibility.

The secondary mission focused on reconstructing two-dimensional geospatial flight tracks and three-dimensional descent trajectories using data from its integrated inertial measurement unit (IMU), GPS, and compass.

The CanSat endured a launch force of 5.8 Gs and reached a peak altitude of 534 meters. The students presented their flight data, analysis, and overall experience during the post-flight presentation.

The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) endorsed the team following its performance at the Code, Build, Launch: CanSat 101 Bootcamp in January 2026, conducted in collaboration with AdU STAR Lab. The program provided foundational training in the development of CanSats.

The team is composed of Michaela Bagtas, John Cajayon, Beatrice Goto, and Chris Rollon, with Dr. Marlon P. Sta. Catalina as their coach.

The competition was organized by the National Science Museum Thailand in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Space Education Center and Space Koshien Japan. Teams from Thailand, Japan, and Malaysia also participated.