Ateneo de Davao students compete in int’l rocketry tilt in Texas
The 13-member AdDU Rocketry Team with their rocket named “Siklab” together with AdDU President Fr. Karel S. San Juan and Dr. Rogel Mari Sese, the only Philippine team to compete in the 2025 Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) in Midland International Air and Space Port in Midland, Texas, USA. Photos by Joselle R. Badilla
DAVAO CITY -– Students of the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) are set to showcase their prowess in rocketry as they compete in the 2025 Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) scheduled on June 9 to 14 at the Midland International Air and Space Port in Midland, Texas, USA.
Over 2,000 students, faculty and mentors are expected to attend the event that will feature rocketry teams from more than 150 universities worldwide.
The AdDU Rocketry Team was qualified for this year’s largest university-led rocketry competition.
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The team is composed of more than 30 members, 11 of whom are women, second- year to fourth-year Aerospace Engineering students. But only 13 will be joining the event in the United States.
AdDu is Team Number 200 in the competition.
AdDU is the only university in the country with an active rocket development program and the only one of three universities that will represent Southeast Asia; the other two are from Thailand and Malaysia.
AdDU’s rocket named “Siklab,” which means spark or blaze, was proposed by Jesuit priest Karel San Juan, the university president, back in August 2024, to symbolize new ignition for the country.
“This milestone is the result of the sustained work – not only by the students who comprise the team, but also by the faculty and staff who accompany them through an academic formation that integrates sciences, engineering, computing and research in concrete, applied ways,” San Juan told reporters in a recent briefing.
“The Rocketry Team represents what Ateneo education in Mindanao strives to do: from individuals who apply technical competence to real-world challenges, work collaboratively and commit to long-term, disciplined effort,” San Juan added.
The whole Ateneo de Davao University Rocketry Team with AdDU President Fr. Karel S. San Juan and their mentor Dr. Rogel Mari Sese.
The AdDu Rocketry team will compete in the 30,000-feet COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) category. This altitude is approximately the same as the cruising altitude for commercial aircraft.
2-kg payload
Their rocket is 11 feet long with a 4-inch diameter and a payload of two kilograms. It is equipped with two GPS units and an onboard camera.
According to their mentor, Dr. Rogel Mari Sese, it took the team a year to finish their rocket; took one semester for planning and material procurement and one semester for assembly and integration including 3D-printed parts (fin alignment jig and sled) tested for heat resistance.
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Sese said the team is targeting the competition’s Barrowman Award that is determined by how closely the rocket’s actual altitude matches simulation — an indication of engineering accuracy.
In June 2024, the team made history after they successfully launched the rocket “Sibol” at the Spaceport America Cup in New Mexico, USA, participated by about 1,700 students from 200 different universities from the US and 20 other countries.
The current AdDU Rocketry Team bound for Texas is composed of Avery Clyde Dimasuhid as team leader; flight operations lead Franz Carlo Guevara and Derick John Garay; structures lead Mariz Aylah Cenoja and assistant lead Jeff Joaquin Jao; avionics lead Azaella Beatriz Ampost and assistant lead Clarence James Valenzuela; recovery lead Niel Andrie Paye; payload lead Angelo Ryan Dolina and Aidan Ryan Evangelista; admin and finance lead Carlos Leo Panelo; documentation lead Nhorman Carl Baluran and assistant lead Fritzie Mae Maniquez./mr
