Seven brilliant high school learners from the Western Cape have written a thrilling new chapter in South Africa’s story of youth excellence. Making a triumphant debut at the prestigious International Space Settlement Design Competition—the world’s longest-running space engineering contest for schools—Team SA took home the top prize at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
Selected during the inaugural South Africa Space Design Competition hosted at the University of Cape Town, Team SA stood proud as the only African team in the international field. Even more remarkable? They clinched the global title on the nation’s very first attempt.
Global Collaboration, Interstellar Dreams
The talented lineup comprised Zayaan Abdurahman (Mondale High School), Joseph Allderman (Westerford High School), Benjamin Honigwachs (Bishops Diocesan College), Alaya Kaplen (Cannons Creek Independent School), Qayalah Omar (Cannons Creek Independent School), Ethan Schoombee (Fairmont High School), and Dean Weich (Bishops Diocesan College).
Once in Florida, the South African cohort joined forces with bright young minds from the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, China, and the United States. Together, they formed Rockdonnell—making history as the first team in the competition’s existence to unite representatives from every single inhabited continent.
Their groundbreaking project, dubbed Hermes, showcased an awe-inspiring futuristic spacecraft designed to transport 3,000 people across the inner Solar System. The local learners held pivotal roles throughout the gruelling defence process: Qaylah Omar captivated judges as a key presenter, while Benjamin Honigwachs, Joseph Allderman, and Ethan Schoombee expertly defended the proposal’s engineering intricacies before a panel of aerospace experts.
Celebrating Creative Genius
Beyond the overall team victory, Western Cape’s own Joseph Allderman earned individual acclaim by receiving the prestigious Anita Gale Creative Genius Prize—one of just four awarded across the entire international competition.
Exhibiting true South African humility, Joseph reflected:
“Team SA worked so cohesively together that we all deserved this award. I was just the one who got picked to represent it.”
The historic win has sparked celebration across the country, highlighting the immense potential of local youth when provided with the right platforms.
Acting Provincial Minister for Education, Anton Bredell, shared his warm congratulations:
“On behalf of the Western Cape Government, I congratulate these remarkable young South Africans on their achievement. Their success is a powerful reminder that South African learners have the talent, determination and creativity to compete with the very best in the world when they are given the opportunity.”
Paving the Way for Future Stars
Jagger Cooper-Doubell, Chair and Executive Director of the South Africa Space Design Competition, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that South Africa has always harboured world-class genius.
“The talent was never missing in South Africa. The opportunity was,” Cooper-Doubell noted, celebrating how the learners stepped up to defeat global powerhouse teams on their very first attempt.
This debut triumph is only the beginning. Organizers are already preparing to expand the competition nationally, with regional events slated for KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape in 2027, alongside ambitious plans to reach all nine provinces. With entries for the 2027 season opening later this year, the stage is set for the next generation of South African innovators to reach for the stars.
The Newspaper
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