Cockpit & Avionics Hackathon

Avionics Engineer Rafael Quispe and Cockpit UX Designer Leilani Akana challenge teams to rethink instruments on the Kestrel shuttle and the Sparrow Trainer. Teams get real avionics simulators and anonymised flight data.

Lead Systems Engineer Lucía Ferreira judges the integration track, looking for ideas that respect weight, power and certification limits. Teams will tackle three challenges: a clearer approach display for Kestrel landings at busy lunar pads, a calmer alarm system for Sparrow cadets, and a voice-assisted checklist that works with gloves on. Each team gets a mentor from Halcyon's avionics or design teams.

Prizes include a flight in a Kestrel and a two-week internship at the Valparaíso campus. All work is shared under an open licence.

Open to designers, developers and student pilots. No prior spaceflight experience is needed; teams that mix pilots, coders and designers usually do best.