THE Ateneo de Davao Rocketry Team achieved another milestone by winning first place in the Malaysian Rocket CanSat Competitions 2025 held September 2-4, 2025, in Perak, Malaysia.
The Ateneans fielded their custom-based rocket named “Pompano” in the competitions, which saw 65 rocketry teams coming from different Asian countries. Pompano is a small rocket, 100 centimeters in length, which was entered in the 1KM + CanSat category.
Competing rocket teams are tasked to launch soda can-sized satellites using their rockets to a target altitude. Pompano achieved the only perfect recovery of the competition. The Ateneo de Davao rocket returned to earth intact and reusable, the only team to do so.
The reliability in design and their flawless execution helped clinch the first-place finish for the Dabawenyo rocketeers. The standout performance of Pompano was attributed to the Parachute Recovery System engineered by the students.
The winning team is composed of Ateneo de Davao Aerospace Engineering students led by Avery Clyde Dimasuhid, who spearheaded the development of the CanSat payload, Derrick John Garay and Clarence James Valenzuela were the team’s structures specialists, Fritzie Mae Maniquez teamed up with Dimasuhid on the CanSat and electronics development, Carlos Leo Panelo, oversaw the critical recovery system, he engineered the parachute deployment.
Engr. Wilfredo Pardorla Jr., of Ateneo de Davao University’s Aerospace Engineering program, provided expert supervision and helped the team integrate their rocket’s subsystems into a winning design.
The Malaysian Rocket CanSat Competition (MRC) is an annual aerospace competition organized by Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) in partnership with the High Energy Material Research Laboratory (HEMREL) of the University Teknologi MARA.
With their participation in the MRC, Ateneo de Davao Aerospace Engineering Program remains the sole Philippine representative to international rocket events.
The rocketry team made Philippine history when it was the first Filipino rocket team to compete in the 2024 Spaceport America Cup held in New Mexico, U.S.A., where it launched its rocket Sibol. In June of this year, the team qualified and competed in the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition in Texas where the team fielded the rocket Siklab.
Addu Aerospace Engineering program chairperson Dr. Rogel Mari Sese says that by championing innovation on the global stage, they put the Philippines, particularly Mindanao and Davao on the aerospace map.
“Our participation is seen to pave the way for more participation from the Philippines in international competitions in aerospace engineering and provide a venue to develop space technology in the country. Each rocket launch and competition they join adds momentum to the Philippines’ young space initiatives, inspiring other students to dream big,” Sese said. PIA DAVAO