TEKNOFEST Vertical Landing Rocket Competition Finals Begin
The final phase, where rockets designed by young engineers will showcase their autonomous landing capabilities, has started at the TÜBİTAK SAGE campus.
The excitement of the finals for the Vertical Landing Rocket Competition, conducted under the auspices of TÜBİTAK within the scope of TEKNOFEST 2026, has begun at the TÜBİTAK SAGE campus and will continue until September 18.
Purpose and Process of the Competition
Rockets designed by young engineers are competing not only to take off but also to land on the ground in a controlled and soft manner.
During the final phase, teams will demonstrate the autonomous landing capability of their rockets to the jury and audience through actual launches.
Features That Are a First in the World
The Vertical Landing Rocket Competition, held for the first time in 2022, holds the distinction of being the first competition in the world to use a Cold Gas Propulsion System.
Teams are expected to integrate their rockets with the Air Suspension System and land them in a controlled manner after flight.
Technical Details of the Final Launch
In the final launch, the rocket will be lifted to an altitude of approximately 8 to 10 meters by the Air Suspension System.
After the system releases the rocket, the avionics system will automatically activate and manage the landing process.
Finalist Teams and Participation Rates
A total of 331 teams applied for the 2026 competition, and 15 teams that successfully passed the stages earned the right to remain in the finals.
While there are a total of 149 members in the finalist teams, the total number of members aged 18-29 participating from 15 different provinces of Turkey has reached 796.
Award Distribution and Rankings
A total of 750 thousand liras in prizes will be awarded to the successful teams that manage to rank in the competition.
The first-place team will win 300 thousand liras, the second-place team 250 thousand liras, and the third-place team 200 thousand liras.