UGM students have once again achieved international recognition. This time, the accomplishment was earned by the Narantaka Team of the Gadjah Mada Aerospace Team (GMAT) at the Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC), held on February 28, 2026, in Japan.
This international competition, which invites students to control the Astrobee flying robot aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is organized by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in collaboration with NASA. The Narantaka GMAT team secured 5th place in the ISS Run (Main Event) and 3rd place in the Simulation Run (Side Event).
The Narantaka GMAT UGM team successfully demonstrated its capability, bringing pride to Indonesia as its representative among 738 registered teams from 13 participating countries and regions, after previously winning the national competition organized by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) as the local host.
Before advancing to the international level, all teams first competed in the national selection stage. In this round, the Narantaka GMAT team achieved 1st place nationally and earned the opportunity to represent Indonesia in the final round in Japan. The final stage comprised two main categories: the ISS Run (Main Event) and the Simulation Run (Side Event), in which the Gadjah Mada Aerospace Team (GMAT) community achieved notable success internationally.
“We are very proud that the Narantaka GMAT team was able to represent Indonesia at the Final 6th KIBO-RPC. Competing against teams from 13 countries and achieving 5th place in the ISS Run as well as 3rd place in the Simulation Run is an extraordinary accomplishment for us,” Arya, one of the team members, said on Monday (Apr. 13).
Arya added that this achievement marks an important milestone for the GMAT UGM community, especially after the team’s journey in the 5th KIBO-RPC the previous year, which ended in the preliminary round.
“This achievement serves as a gateway for us to step onto the global stage and exchange knowledge with outstanding peers from around the world. We hope this chain of achievements will continue,” he added.
According to him, this international accomplishment can serve as motivation for other Gadjah Mada students to achieve similar success in the future. Gratitude and appreciation were also expressed by Hempri to all parties involved.
“We hope this achievement can inspire other students to be even more motivated to pursue outstanding accomplishments,” he said.
This year, the Narantaka GMAT team consists of Muflikhul Ammar (Electronics and Instrumentation, 2022), Poliakarpus Arya Pradhanika (Information Technology, 2023), Rahmat Nur Panghegar (Software Engineering Technology, 2023), Zufar Syaafi’ (Information Technology, 2023), Nadya Fatika Sari (Industrial Engineering, 2022), and Mu’ammar Ihza Syadi (Nuclear Engineering, 2023).
The Director of Student Affairs at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Dr. Hempri Suyatna, S.Sos., M.Si., expressed his appreciation for the team’s international achievement.
“This accomplishment is truly remarkable and demonstrates that UGM students possess strong innovation and creativity, enabling them to outperform 738 participants from 13 countries. Such innovations should be further developed beyond competitions so that they can evolve into impactful real-world applications,” he stated.
The Gadjah Mada Aerospace Team (GMAT) also expressed appreciation and gratitude to their academic advisors, Dr. I Made Miasa, S.T., M.Sc., Dr. Eng. Adhika Widyapraga, S.T., M. Biomed.E., Dr. Iswandi, S.T., M.Eng., Catur Atmaji, S.Si., M.Cs., and Achmad Sulistyo Putro, S.Si., M.Cs., Ph.D., for their guidance, mentorship, and full support throughout the preparation and competition.
“The guidance we received became a crucial foundation for the team in facing the international competition and achieving this accomplishment,” said Muflikhul Ammar, Captain of the Narantaka GMAT sub-team.
Author: Leony
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Zabrina Kumara
Photo: GMAT Team Documentation