Written By Ahmad Arfan Azhari
Edited by Nuratiqah Imani binti Noordin
A team of students from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) made history by successfully launching their homemade rocket, RIMAU-1, at the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) 2025 in Midland, Texas, USA. The achievement marks a major milestone, making UTM the first Malaysian team to qualify for the finals of this prestigious competition, organized by the Tripoli Rocketry Association and held over six days until 14 June.
The UTM Rocketry Team is led by final-year Mechanical Engineering student T.K. Arykummara, alongside team members Brenden Huang, Hong Quan, K. Raahull, Izzat Idlan Amir Raslan, and S.N. Shivee Prakkaash, representing students from both the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
Standing 2.8 meters tall and weighing 28 kilograms, RIMAU-1 was built from fibreglass and carbon fibre and designed to reach an altitude of 3,000 meters, in accordance with competition requirements.
The rocket was fully hand-built over nine months by a larger team of 40 students from various technical disciplines. The team conducted early testing beginning in January, followed by intensive construction in March, and developed their own parachute recovery system to ensure a safe landing.
The project cost approximately RM40,000, while the total budget, including travel and logistics, reached RM200,000, supported by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, JTNCHEPA, UTM International, and other contributors.
The IREC 2025 competition brings together more than 7,000 students from 172 universities worldwide, with only 176 teams qualifying for the final round. UTM’s participation places Malaysia among leading global institutions in aerospace engineering, highlighting the capability of Malaysian students to compete on the international stage.
