UC Irvine CanSat 2025-2026

Who We Are

We are UC Irvine CanSat, a vibrant and enthusiastic student engineering team. Our team is composed of a diverse blend of passionate students unified under one mission: to excel in the International CanSat competition. This annual student design-build-launch event, spearheaded by the American Astronautical Society (AAS), provides an opportunity for us to experience the entire development cycle of a small satellite – from conceptual design through integration and testing, to real-world operation and post-mission summary. Last year, we placed 9th in the World and 3rd in the United States out of over 100 participating teams. And the previous year we placed 4th in the World and 2nd in the United States!

Team photo at the International CanSat Competition

Our Mission and Goals

This year, the mission of the 2026 International CanSat Competition is to safely deploy a payload that can steer itself to a specified location and deposit an egg fully intact. They have also added a new optional award in the competition for the team that designs the best custom functioning portable ground station. Even though the overall mission task changes every year, our goal for this year is to create robust structures with failsafe systems to ensure that all electronics function properly throughout flight and our mechanisms actuate at desired altitudes. Beyond the competition, we want all members of the team to see how the topics they learn in class can be applied to a real-world application project. We also want them to gain experience with skills that will be applied for the rest of their engineering careers, including engineering design, interdisciplinary communication and project management. With your support, we can give our team the best experience and prepare them well for the competition.

AntSat - 2025 Competition Satellite Payload

Where the CanSat Graduates Are Now

Graduates from our program are making meaningful contributions at top-tier companies, utilizing the technical expertise, problem-solving abilities and teamwork skills cultivated during their time on the team to address complex industry challenges.

Our alumni have continued their engineering careers at the following organizations: Amazon, Anduril Industries, Applied Medical, Boeing, Epic Systems, Google, LG Electronics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Panasonic Avionics, Parker Aerospace, Qualcomm, Tesla, TP-Link Systems, The Walt Disney Company and more!

We are proud that this project has taught our members hands-on experience with engineering problems and helped prepare them for success in any industry field.

2025 Dean's Choice Award Winner

Where Your Donations Are Going

We are raising funds to cover materials, testing, and travel and we would be incredibly grateful for your support. Your contribution allows us to put our best foot forward at the competition. Every dollar you donate directly funds:

- Materials and Components Purchases

Each year brings new competition guidelines, which means designing and building an entirely new payload with specialized materials and sensors.

- Testing and Optimization

Airspace regulations in Irvine prevent us from conducting proper flight tests. Your support helps us build reliable lab testing setups that replicate launch-day conditions and ensure our payload's success.

- Travel Expenses

The competition is held in Virginia. Your donations help cover our team's flights, lodging and transportation to and from the launch site.

Join Our Journey

Please stay connected with us on Instagram and LinkedIn!

If you’d like to contribute in other ways to sponsor or partner with us, please reach out to us at cansatuci@gmail.com.

Supporting UC Irvine CanSat means investing in the future of aerospace and satellite technology. Your donation means the world to us!