The Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering (AAE) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is proud to announce that its students achieved the Award of Excellence at the 3rd Space Universities CubeSat Challenge (SUCC), held on 19 November 2025 at the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Wenchang, Hainan, China.
The PolyU team, supervised by Research Assistant Professor, Dr Wang Tianqi, comprising PhD student Mr Samba Zhou Zihong and undergraduate student Mr Wang Lexuan, represented PolyU at this prestigious international competition. In collaboration with the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), the team advanced to the final round and received the Award of Excellence in the category of Proposals and Products.
The award-winning team presented their innovative project titled "Design and Implementation of a CubeSat System for Observing the Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) Process of a Mars Lander". This novel proposal aims to deploy a CubeSat to achieve the first-ever complete imaging of the Mars EDL process, incorporating multiple pioneering technologies including perturbation-based orbit control, reinforcement learning-based angular momentum management (AMM), and infrared (IR) attitude tracking and scanning systems.
AAE’s participation and success in the SUCC underscore the department’s high level of astronautical engineering research and education, particularly in addressing key challenges in interplanetary space exploration, nanosatellite design, and deep space navigation, guidance, and control.
About the Space Universities CubeSat Challenge (SUCC)
The SUCC is organised by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and its Space University Administrative Committee (SUAC) in cooperation with the Chinese Society of Astronautics (CSA), the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), and the Dalian University of Technology (DUT). Themed "CubeSat, a platform for new technology verification and international cooperation", the competition encourages the cultivation of next-generation space talent, promotes international collaboration, and advocates for the peaceful and sustainable development of space technologies.
The competition topics focus on CubeSat innovation missions, conceptual CubeSat platform and component innovation system design, innovative CubeSat payloads and applications, as well as other new concepts, ideas, and viewpoints in CubeSat design and applications.
More about the 3rd SUCC: http://www.csaspace.org.cn/n2489262/n2489292/c4490161/content.html.
