To industry, nothing is impossible

A group of enthusiastic youngster has turned their dream into reality. Team Interplanetar, BUET's Mars Rover Team, has seized the Innovation Award for devising the most innovative gas compression system at the International Planetary Aerial System Challenge (IPAS) 2021.

The IPAS Challenge is organised by Mars Society South Asia (MSSA). The competition is for university students, which requires the participants to design a fully equipped Mars Aerial System. The team has ranked first in Bangladesh and eighth globally.

Themed "Propelling Exploration", the virtual event consisted of 26 teams competing against each other. Team Interplanetar consisted of Khondker Shihabul Hoque, Nazib Chowdhury, Rafi Bin Dastagir, Nafiz Imtiaz, Mishfaqur Rahman, R.K.B.M. Rizmi, Syed Tawsif Islam, Yaminul Hoque, Ajoy Kumar Sarker, Apurba Sarker, Emon Roy Bappy, Farsia Kawsar Chowdhury, Intesar Jawad Jaigirdar, Kushol Roy Pritom, Md. Amin Haque, Md. Rasul Khan Hamim, S.M. Sakeef Sani, Shorup Chanda and M. Abrar Muhit.

Designed by using Blender and other software, their drone Nirveek 1.0 can aid cosmic research by collecting various information in the hostile environment of Mars. The team took two weeks to conceptualise the design which is excellent for the environment of Mars.

Team Interplanetar was formed in 2015, and has participated in numerous international space robotics competitions, including the European Rover Challenge (ERC) and the University Rover Challenge (URC). Additionally, the team regularly organises various workshops and learning sessions for students interested in rover designing. They are currently preparing to participate in the upcoming ERC .