Aykut Üçtepe, scholarship holder from the Modern Education Foundation (ÇEV) and 4th grade student from Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Department of Aeronautical Engineering, won first place in the international model satellite competition held in Houston under the sponsorship of NASA with his team. They defeated 93 teams from around the world and had also been successful in the same competition last year placing third 3rd.

ITU Apis R&D Team’s model satellite successfully transferred its payload to the ground by landing with a propeller after it had flown up to 750 meters with a rocket. At the desired height, it separated from its carrier seamlessly. It sealed its victory and won first place thanks to the uninterrupted data transfer and the video captures during the descent of the payload.