When you hear about rockets, underwater robots, or Mars rovers, you might think of NASA or big space agencies. But today, Bangladesh’s own students from United International University (UIU) are making waves.

Meet three of UIU’s powerhouse teams — Ascend, Mariner, and Mars Rover — who are turning heads globally with their cutting-edge projects and world-class results.

UIU ASCEND: Reaching high altitudes

UIU’s Ascend team recently competed in the CanSat Competition 2025, and they brought home a major achievement: 2nd place in Asia and 7th place globally. The competition, organized by the American Astronautical Society (AAS), was held June 5–8, 2025 in Virginia, USA.

What is CanSat? It’s a student competition where teams design, build, and launch a mini “satellite in a can” (a small capsule) to a certain altitude (about 670–725 metres). The capsule must deploy a payload or probe, complete a mission (e.g. sensor tasks), and land safely — all autonomously. 

The UIU ASCEND team had done well in 2024, too — they ranked 3rd in Asia and 11th globally. This time, they outdid themselves, becoming the top Bangladeshi team in the competition.For a competition that attracts teams from 17 countries — including the US, Canada, UK, India, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey, and more — UIU’s result is nothing short of inspiring. 

UIU MARINER: The deep divers

If Ascend deals with the skies, Mariner dives beneath the waves. UIU’s Mariner team recently competed in the MATE ROV World Championship 2025 in the PIONEER Class and earned some stellar honors including – 

• 5th place globally among 13 finalist teams.
• 1st place in Asia (i.e. top Asian team in their class).
•  They also won the Technical Documentation Champion award, achieving a perfect 81/100 in that category.
• Their final score: 377 points. 

The contest was held June 17–22, 2025 at the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Michigan, USA. Teams were judged on eight criteria: product demonstration, engineering presentation, technical documentation, marketing display, mission collaboration, company specification, corporate responsibility, and safety.

UIU’s Mariner is part of the AURA (Advanced Underwater Robotics & Automation) crew within UIU’s ecosystem. The team of 10 students was guided by faculty mentors including Prof. Emeritus M. Rezwan Khan, Prof. A.K.M. Muzahidul Islam, and lecturers Fahim Hafiz and Saifur Rahman. The team was led by Anika Tabassum Orchi (Dept. of CSE). 

What makes this especially impressive is that underwater robotics is a tough field: circuits, waterproofing, controls, sensors, mechanical design — all must function flawlessly underwater. Mariner’s success shows UIU students can build systems that work both in theory and in the real, pressure-filled world under the sea.

UIU Mars Rover: Conquering the Red Planet 

The UIU Mars Rover team brings space exploration right to Bangladesh’s doorstep. Their track record is already legendary: they’ve been Asia’s top team in rover challenges four years in a row, and now they’re earning global recognition. 

1. University Rover Challenge 2025

In May 2025, the UIU Mars Rover team competed in the University Rover Challenge (URC) at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), Utah, USA. They claimed 1st place in Asia for the 4th consecutive time and 6th place globally out of 38 finalists. 

Their 6th place score was 325.93 points and they also earned the Best Science Team Award, scoring a perfect 100/100 in the science mission segment — the first time any Asian team has done so. 

In the finals, rovers must complete multiple missions: science exploration, autonomous navigation, extreme terrain traversal, and equipment servicing. UIU’s rover successfully fulfilled all of these tasks. 

In that same competition, the champion was the “Mars Rover Design Team” from Missouri University of Science & Technology (USA), followed by teams from West Virginia University, Northeastern University, BYU, and Rzeszów University of Technology (Poland). 

 The UIU team is supported by the Center for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics (CAIR) at UIU. Their faculty supervisor is Md. Abid Hossain, and the student project lead is Md. Mushfiqur Rahman (Dept. of EEE). 

2. Anatolian Rover Challenge 2025

Beyond URC, UIU’s Mars Rover team also participated in the Anatolian Rover Challenge (ARC) 2025 held in Ankara, Türkiye, from July 23–27. In that event, they secured 3rd place globally and 1st place in Asia. 

But that’s not all — they won awards for Best Autonomous Driving & Control System and Best Science Team. That shows their rover is not just mechanically sound, but intelligent and precise in navigation and sensing.

These UIU teams are already thinking forward. To succeed, they’ll need continued support — funding, lab infrastructure, mentoring, and opportunities for exposure. UIU’s Ascend, Mariner, and Mars Rover teams are proof that Bangladesh’s young minds have the vision, skill, and determination to push boundaries. 

Let this be a call — to other universities, to schools, to industry supporters — to back the dreamers and conquer more.