Anáhuac Puebla team wins second place in national aerospace rocket challenge

The IGNIS UAP team, composed of Mechatronics Engineering students from Anáhuac Puebla University, secured second place in the Hydro-Propelled Multistage Rocket category at the IPN 2026 Hidrochallenge. The competition was organized by the Aerospace Development Center of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) at the Center for Innovation and Integration of Advanced Technologies (CIITA) in San José Chiapa, Puebla.

Out of 75 registered teams, only 39 passed the initial evaluation phase. The IGNIS UAP team achieved a perfect score of 100 points during this stage, which assessed technical feasibility, planning, and project development. The challenge required participants to design, build, and launch a multistage rocket powered by water and compressed air. The rocket had to reach a minimum altitude of 100 meters, deploy a payload for Earth observation and atmospheric measurement, and utilize a controlled descent system with wireless data transmission.

The team members included Renata Chavarri Mendoza, Ángel Didier Torres Torres, and Enrique Yáñez Sánchez. The event serves to promote aerospace technology development and the practical application of scientific knowledge among students in Mexico and abroad.