Five El Segundo High School students earned first place in the 2025 Herndon Science competition for their innovative satellite design.
Hosted by the Aerospace Corporation and the United States Air Force, the competition challenges students to design and submit science experiments focused on space-related topics of their choice. This year, ESHS students Avery Edelstain, Sutton Fisk, Wesley Gordon, Stefan Lazarecic, and Vicken Semerdjian created a proof-of-concept Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite designed to help solve the growing problem of space debris.
The team’s satellite, named PACMAN, is engineered to collect decommissioned CubeSats, grind them into powder, and use the resulting material as fuel to propel itself through space in search of additional debris. In the future, this technology could also be used to refuel other satellites, offering a possible solution to both space waste and the challenge of moving satellites through space.
“This competition required complex thinking, creative problem-solving, and a lot of hard work,” said Superintendent Dr. Jason Johnson. “We are incredibly proud of these students and their teacher, Daniel Horvath, for this outstanding accomplishment. Their dedication, innovation, and success are truly inspiring.”
The students presented their project and displayed their prototype during the Senior Expo Night on Monday, June 2.
To learn more about the Herndon Science Competition, visit https://aerospace.org/herndon.