Seven South African high school learners from the Western Cape have made history by winning the prestigious International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC) — the world’s longest-running space engineering contest for schools — at the international finals hosted at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Selected through the inaugural South Africa Space Design Competition at the University of Cape Town, Team ZA was the only African team in the field and claimed victory on the country’s first-ever entry.

Team Members

• Zayaan Abdurahman (Mondale High School)
• Joseph Allderman (Westerford High School)
• Benjamin Honigwachs (Bishops Diocesan College)
• Alaya Kaplen (Cannons Creek Independent School)
• Qaylah Omar (Cannons Creek Independent School)
• Ethan Schoombee (Fairmont High School)
• Dean Weich (Bishops Diocesan College)

Global Collaboration

The learners joined peers from the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, China and the United States to form Rockdonnell, the first team in ISSDC history to include representatives from every inhabited continent. Their winning proposal, Hermes, envisioned a futuristic spacecraft capable of transporting 3 000 people across the inner Solar System.

Individual Honours

Team members played pivotal roles, with Qaylah Omar presenting, while Benjamin Honigwachs, Joseph Allderman and Ethan Schoombee defended the design before judges. Joseph Allderman received the Anita Gale Creative Genius Prize, one of only four awarded globally. Reflecting on the honour, he said:

“Team ZA worked so cohesively together that we all deserved this award. I was just the one who got picked to represent it.”

Recognition and Impact

Acting Provincial Minister for Education, Anton Bredell, praised the achievement:

“On behalf of the Western Cape Government, I congratulate these remarkable young South Africans. Their success is a powerful reminder that our learners have the talent, determination and creativity to compete with the very best in the world when given the opportunity.”

Jagger Cooper-Doubell, Chair and Executive Director of the South Africa Space Design Competition, added:

“The talent was never missing in South Africa. The opportunity was.”

Future Expansion

Following this historic success, the competition will expand nationally, with regional events planned for the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal in 2027, and ambitions to reach all nine provinces. Entries for the 2027 South African season of the International Space Settlement Design Competition will open later this year.

https://www.westerncape.gov.za/education

Photos supplied