By Lavania Subramaniam
KUALA LUMPUR- Long nights, endless calculations, and the constant sound of tools and machinery have become part of daily life for a team of student engineers from Universiti Sains Malaysia. While most university students spend their evenings rushing assignments, the WAU Rocketry USM team has been racing against time to build something far greater - a rocket capable of carrying Malaysia’s name onto one of the world’s biggest aerospace stages.
Now, that dream is becoming reality.
The team is set to represent Malaysia at the prestigious International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) 2026 in the United States after securing a spot among 175 selected teams from 192 global applicants through a rigorous technical evaluation process.
At the centre of their mission is APEX-1, a high-powered rocket designed for the challenging 10,000 ft Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) category. Built using fiberglass composite materials reinforced with epoxy resin, the rocket integrates advanced avionics systems, onboard sensors, and a dual-deployment parachute recovery mechanism engineered for flight precision and safe landing.
But behind the technical drawings and engineering simulations lies a story driven by passion and perseverance.
For team captain Vymarleena Avriel Pathma Raja, the journey has been about more than rockets. As the only female member of the team, she carries both responsibility and purpose on her shoulders.
“There were moments when everything felt impossible,” she admitted. “We had to manage funding, technical development, testing, and deadlines all at the same time. But giving up was never an option because we knew what this could mean for Malaysia.”
The project, estimated to cost nearly RM230,000, required the team to balance fundraising efforts alongside intense engineering preparation and academic commitments. Despite the pressure, the students remained determined to prove that Malaysian talent belongs on the international aerospace stage.
“We are not going there just to participate,” Vymarleena said confidently. “We want to compete with the best and show that Malaysian students are capable of building world-class aerospace technology.”
As global attention increasingly turns toward innovation and space exploration, the team hopes their journey will inspire more young Malaysians to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
“Dream big and start now,” she said. “You do not have to wait for the perfect opportunity. If you are willing to work hard enough, even something as big as building a rocket can become possible.”
With APEX-1 inching closer to launch day, WAU Rocketry USM is not only preparing for competition - they are preparing to show the world how far Malaysian ambition can truly fly.
Lavania Subramaniam (lavania0701@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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