Vefa Unmanned Systems Team (VİST)

Vefa Unmanned Systems Team (VİST) is a student technology team established in 2018 within Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ). The team focuses on unmanned systems, particularly in rocket technologies and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Its founding purpose is to provide university students with hands-on experience in multidisciplinary engineering projects and to cultivate qualified human resources in defense, aerospace, and space technologies. The team derives its name from the Vefa neighborhood, where its first workshop was located.

The team is referred to by various names in different contexts. Its official name is "Vefa Unmanned Systems Team", and it is commonly abbreviated as "VİST". Additionally, depending on its areas of activity, it is also known as "İTÜ Vefa Aerospace Team" or "Vefa Aerospace". These names reflect the team’s work on diverse projects such as rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Its rocket engineering activities are conducted under the name "Vefa Rocket Team".

Shortly after its establishment in 2018, VİST achieved success by winning first place in Turkey’s first Swarm Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Competition held that same year. In subsequent years, the team rapidly expanded both its technical infrastructure and membership. By 2020, the team included students from various universities (İTÜ, Yıldız Technical, Boğaziçi, Uludağ, etc.) and operated workshops in Istanbul and Bursa. In 2021, VİST participated in TEKNOFEST with an autonomous fire-extinguishing UAV project and successfully completed its assigned mission.

In 2024, a landmark achievement occurred in VİST’s history: the team won first place in the 10,000 feet category at the Spaceport America Cup 2024 held in New Mexico, USA. A total of 152 teams from 20 countries participated in the competition, and VİST secured first place through the best rocket design and flight performance in its category.

VİST is composed of sub-teams focused on different technical domains. The team operates through voluntary participation of İTÜ students and is generally managed by a team captain and technical leads. A central management group ensures coordination among the sub-teams.

Team advisory is typically provided by İTÜ faculty members. As of 2024, the team’s activities are supported with advisory input from İTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu.

VİST’s projects focus primarily on two key technical areas under the umbrella of unmanned systems: rocket systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These projects are designed from scratch, with team members developing mechanical systems, electronic systems (avionics), software, power, and propulsion systems.

Within VİST, various sub-teams operate with specialized focus on different technical fields:

• Vefa Rocket Team: Works on rocket engineering, solid-fuel motors, avionics systems, and aerodynamic structures. It formed the team that won first place at the Spaceport America Cup in the USA.
• Vefa Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Team (UAV): Develops autonomous aerial vehicles for missions such as surveillance, search and rescue, and fire suppression. Successfully completed the fire suppression mission at TEKNOFEST 2021.
• Vefa Avionics and Software Team: Develops flight control software, sensor data processing systems, and ground control software for UAV and rocket projects.
• Vefa Mechanical and Production Team: Handles mechanical design (CAD), manufacturing, assembly, and structural analysis of systems.

Among the competitions VİST has participated in and the awards it has won, the following stand out:

• 2018 – Swarm UAV Competition: VİST won first place in Turkey’s first-ever Swarm UAV Competition. The competition was held at Istanbul New Airport from September 20–23, 2018. The team successfully completed assigned tasks by coordinating multiple UAVs.
• 2021 – TEKNOFEST Fire Suppression UAV Mission Competition: The system developed for TEKNOFEST successfully dropped fire suppressant onto a structure 30 meters high. At TEKNOFEST 2021, VİST completed all assigned tasks for the fire suppression mission with UAVs. This mission aimed to advance the development of autonomous fire suppression systems.
• 2024 – Spaceport America Cup (USA): The rocket system developed by the Vefa Rocket Team achieved first place in the 10,000 feet category at Spaceport America Cup 2024 by successfully reaching the target altitude. The competition involved 152 teams from 20 countries. The team secured first place in this category based on rocket design, manufacturing, and flight performance.

VİST is open not only to İTÜ students but also to students from other universities. As of 2020, the team included over 20 members. Members are selected from various departments including mechanical, aerospace, electrical-electronics, computer, and mechatronics engineering.

Joining the team occurs through applications announced publicly. Members take on roles in areas such as software development, electronic design, manufacturing, and mechanical assembly. Projects are carried out in an interdisciplinary collaborative environment.

İTÜ Vefa Rocket Team won first place in the 10,000 feet category at the Spaceport America Cup rocket engineering competition held in the United States in 2024. The competition involved 152 teams from 20 countries.

^{İTÜ Vefa Rocket Team Spaceport America Cup '24 Souvenir Patch (}vefa_havacilik⁾

The competition was held in June 2024 in New Mexico. The İTÜ Vefa Rocket Team designed and successfully launched a rocket capable of reaching an altitude of 10,000 feet. The rocket carried a drone with foldable wings, which separated from the rocket at the designated altitude to collect atmospheric data. This project aimed to simulate the processes of deploying satellites or space tourism vehicles to a specific atmospheric level and releasing useful payloads.

Competition Process:

Spaceport America Cup is one of the largest international rocket engineering competitions at the university level, held annually in New Mexico, USA. The event is organized by the nonprofit organization Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA). The technical component of the competition is known as Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC).

IREC is a competitive engineering competition in which university students design and build rocket systems to reach specific altitude targets. Initiated in 2006, the competition was expanded into a global format under the umbrella of “Spaceport America Cup” starting in 2017. In this context, ESRA serves as the organizing body, while IREC is the name of the technical competition held under its framework. Each year, participating teams design their rockets according to specified technical criteria and carry out launch and recovery operations.

The Vefa Aerospace Team, operating under Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), has participated in the Spaceport America Cup competitions organized by Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) in 2023 and 2024. These competitions attract university teams from around the world. The technical component, Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC), is held annually in New Mexico, USA, requiring participants to design rocket systems and conduct flight tests to meet specific altitude targets.

The İTÜ Vefa Aerospace Team participated in the 15th Spaceport America Cup in 2023 under the IREC competition. Only one team per university was accepted, and a total of 119 teams from 20 countries advanced to the finals. The İTÜ Vefa team successfully completed a full launch and recovery operation using a rocket developed with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components in the 10,000 feet altitude category. This technical success positively impacted the team’s overall evaluation score, placing İTÜ Vefa Aerospace Team in 4th place overall. Simultaneously, it became the highest-scoring and most successful Turkish team among the nine Turkish university teams that reached the finals.

^{Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA), Spaceport America Competition, 2023 (}Ali Rıza Eke⁾

IREC (Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition) is an applied, technically focused competition that evaluates rocket systems developed by university students based on engineering, design, and flight performance criteria. Organized annually in New Mexico, USA, by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA), the competition has been conducted under the broader umbrella of Spaceport America Cup since 2017. The competition tasks student teams with designing, building, launching, and safely recovering rockets to meet specific altitude targets (e.g., 10,000 feet or 30,000 feet). Participating teams are evaluated multidimensionally based on design reports, system integration, flight safety, and recovery success rates.

^{Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA), Spaceport America Competition 2023 (}Ali Rıza Eke⁾

Operating under Istanbul Technical University, the Vefa Aerospace Team participated in IREC in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, it competed in the 10,000 feet altitude category with a rocket system developed using commercial components and successfully completed all flight and recovery missions. That year, it was the highest-scoring team among the Turkish teams that reached the finals.

In 2024, the team won first place in the same category, elevating its technical achievements to a higher international level. Through participation in IREC, the İTÜ Vefa Aerospace Team has produced system-level engineering applications and represented Türkiye through interdisciplinary student collaboration.

The İTÜ Vefa Rocket Team was established in 2018 and has since participated in various national and international competitions. The team consists of İTÜ students and is advised by İTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu.

At the award ceremony following the competition, members of the İTÜ Vefa Rocket Team unveiled both the Turkish and Palestinian flags together on stage. This gesture was met with applause from the approximately 700 attendees. The team secured first place, surpassing universities such as Princeton, Stanford, and George Washington.

^{İTÜ Vefa Team Receiving First Place Award in the USA (}İTÜ⁾

^{İTÜ Vefa Team Receiving First Place Award in the USA (}İTÜ⁾

Following its first-place achievement in the 10,000 feet category at the 2024 Spaceport America Cup rocket engineering competition in New Mexico, USA, the İTÜ Vefa Aerospace Team held meetings with various institutions and individuals. These meetings are significant for recognizing and supporting the team’s success.

July 2, 2024, TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş received the İTÜ Vefa Aerospace Team. Kurtulmuş expressed his satisfaction and pride in the team’s achievement and congratulated the students and faculty. The meeting was attended by team members and İTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu. Kurtulmuş emphasized the importance of supporting young people’s technological endeavors.

^{TBMM Speaker Kurtulmuş and İTÜ Vefa Aerospace Team (}AA⁾

List of individuals present during the July 2, 2024, reception of the İTÜ Vefa Aerospace Team by TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş:

1. Nurettin Alan: Member of Parliament for Istanbul, AK Party, and Member of the TBMM Justice Commission.

2. Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu: Rector of Istanbul Technical University.

3. Prof. Dr. Erol Kam: Faculty Member, Environmental Engineering Department, İTÜ.

4. Nurullah Bedir: Mechanical Team Lead and Team Captain, Vefa Aerospace Team; Student, Aerospace Engineering Department, İTÜ.

5. Muhammed Kam: Avionics Lead, Vefa Aerospace Team; Student, Electronics and Communication Engineering Department, İTÜ.

6. Ömer Faruk Sarıgöz: Founding Leader, Vefa Aerospace Team; Graduate, Mechanical Engineering Department, İTÜ.

7. Ali Rıza Eke: Pilot, Avionics Lead, and Team Captain, İTÜ University Project Team, Vefa Aerospace Team (2021–2023); Student, Electronics and Communication Engineering Department, İTÜ.

8. Abdullah Talha Kiraz: Mechanical Design Engineer, Vefa Aerospace Team; Student, Mechanical Engineering Department, İTÜ.

9. Fatih Maden: Vefader Ankara Representative.

This reception followed the İTÜ Vefa Aerospace Team’s first-place achievement at the 2024 Spaceport America Cup in the United States.

On July 23, 2024, Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ilm Yayma Foundation, met with members of the İTÜ Vefa Aerospace Team at the foundation’s headquarters in Süleymaniye. During the meeting, discussions were held regarding the team’s achievements and future goals. Bilal Erdoğan congratulated the team on its success and emphasized the importance of supporting students in such extracurricular activities.

^{Bilal Erdoğan, Ilm Yayma Foundation (}AA⁾

İTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu serves as the team’s advisor and supports its achievements. Following the team’s world championship win, İTÜ Deputy Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Deniz welcomed the team at Istanbul Airport and congratulated them on their success.

^{Vefa Unmanned Systems Rocket Team (VİST) Welcome at Istanbul Airport (}İTÜ⁾

^{İTÜ Vefa Team Welcome at Istanbul Airport (}İTÜ⁾

Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır congratulated the İTÜ Vefa Team on its achievement via a social media post. Additionally, the President of the Presidency of Defense Industries Haluk Görgün and the Chairman of the Board of Baykar Selçuk Bayraktar also celebrated the team’s success and highlighted the importance of young people’s achievements in technology. At TEKNOFEST, rockets developed by the Vefa Rocket Team were exhibited.

^{Vefa Rocket Team Exhibiting World Champion Rockets at TEKNOFEST Rocket Competition (}Ali Rıza Eke⁾

^{Vefa Rocket Team and Selçuk BAYRAKTAR at TEKNOFEST Rocket Competition Exhibiting World Champion Rockets, (}Ali Rıza Eke⁾