STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University engineering students from the RELLIS campus captured awards in five categories, including first place for best design, at the recent NASA-Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC) Design Challenge in Houston.
The RELLIS Rovers — Swaid Alrashed, Silas Hill, Easton Duplichan and team leader Akash Musale — took top design honors for their lunar personal electric vehicle. The team’s engineering goals were to fabricate an efficient, lightweight and functioning vehicle based on wheel and drivetrain design focused on maintaining traction on the loose lunar soil, along with an ergonomic, lightweight and portable chassis.
“Participating in the NASA-TSGC Design Challenge has been one of the most transformative experiences of my engineering journey,” said Musale. “Over the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to lead a dedicated team, collaborate with incredible mentors and push the boundaries of what student-led research can achieve.
“This semester’s success is not just a reflection of our technical accomplishments — it’s a testament to the resilience, creativity and teamwork that define Tarleton State’s engineering community. I’m proud of what we’ve built together, and even more excited for where it will lead future students.”
Each member of the team received a $1,000 scholarship by virtue of their best design win.
The Tarleton State team also earned first place for best poster, third for best model and display, and fourth-place honors for both best oral presentation and top peer review.
“TSGC is very happy to celebrate the success of the Tarleton State RELLIS Rovers for coming in first in the intense Design Challenge competition,” said Dr. Tim Urban, director of the Texas Space Grant Consortium. “Their teamwork and technical skills are outstanding.”
Sponsored by NASA and administered by the TSGC since 2002, Design Challenge topics are submitted by researchers working with NASA or its contractor community on current projects of interest within NASA’s vision for space exploration.