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ASCENT-1

The first autonomous unmanned aircraft designed, integrated, and flight-tested by KFUPM ASCENT for the SUAS 2026 competition.

INSIDE THE AIRCRAFT

Engineering ASCENT-1

1

Payload & Release Mechanism

Custom system that drops both the beacon and bottle.

2

Jetson Nano

Companion computer running mission software in a custom 3D enclosure.

3

GPS Module

High precision GNSS receiver for autonomous navigation.

4

Herelink Air Unit (HAU)

Digital link carrying telemetry, and video to the GS.

ASCENT-1 aircraft with labelled subsystems
Payload
Jetson Nano
GPS
HAU
Camera
Cube Orange+
Carbon Frame
Battery Box
5

Vision Camera

Primary vision sensor for aerial object detection.

6

Cube Orange+

ArduPilot autopilot handling navigation, and waypoints.

7

Carbon Fiber Frame

Lightweight carbon fiber airframe — rigid at low weight.

8

Custom Battery Box

Enclosure for our upgraded power and quick battery swaps.

AIRCRAFT PLATFORM

Our Vehicle — Documentation

Aurelia X6 MAX heavy-lift hexacopter — official product render

carbon-fiber heavy-lift hexacopter.

Technical Specifications

Configuration
Hexacopter, 6 rotors · flies on 5 of 6
Wheelbase (motor–motor)
Ø 1180 mm
Diameter (unfolded, prop tip)
Ø 1738.8 mm
Overall height
616.71 mm
Payload clearance
430 mm (550 mm XL gear)
Empty weight
4,900 g (10.80 lb)
Weight with batteries
9,566 g (21.09 lb)
Max takeoff weight (MTOW)
15,566 g (34.32 lb)
Payload capacity
6,000 g (13.23 lb)
Battery
2 × 27,000 mAh · 22.2 V
Max flight time
70 min (unloaded)
Max speed
56 km/h (35 mph)
Max wind resistance
32 km/h (20 mph)
Service ceiling
3,000 m ASL
Operating temperature
−15 °C to +50 °C
Flight controller
Cube Orange+ / Cube Blue
Flight software
ArduPilot (PX4 optional)
GNSS
uBlox M9N · GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/BeiDou
Compass / IMU
RM3100 · 2× accel, 2× gyro
Rangefinder
LiDAR · ±2.5 cm · 0–40 m
Communication
915 / 433 MHz · 2.4 GHz HereLink
Range / encryption
5–15 km · AES-128/256

Dimension Drawing

Aurelia X6 MAX official dimension drawing with orthographic views (mm)

Dimension drawing, values in mm: wheelbase Ø1180 · unfolded Ø1738.8 · height 616.71 · landing-gear span 555.52 · payload plate 300 × 172.

Orthographic Views

X6 MAX front view

Front elevation

X6 MAX top view

Top plan

X6 MAX bird's-eye view

Isometric

X6 MAX folded configuration

Folded (transport)

Subsystems & Components

Cube Orange+ flight controller

Cube Orange+ flight controller

Downward LiDAR rangefinder

Downward LiDAR rangefinder

Brushless motor and propeller

Brushless motor & propeller

Folding propellers

Folding propellers

Dual-battery bay

Dual-battery bay

Payload bay and rails

Payload bay & rails

Payload bay connection tubes

Payload connection tubes

Onboard LCD status display

Onboard LCD status display

TECHNICAL DATA

Aircraft Specifications

Airframe
Carbon-fiber hexacopter (six rotors)
Propulsion
Six brushless motors, one electronic speed controller per motor
Maximum takeoff weight
competition limit ≤ 45 lb (≈ 20.4 kg)
Maximum payload
SUAS delivery payload ≤ 2 lb
Flight controller
Cube Orange+ running ArduPilot (ArduCopter)
Navigation
Here3+ GNSS (GPS + compass)
Communication
Herelink (2.4 GHz HD video + control) and RFD900x (900 MHz telemetry); onboard MAVLink2 serial link
Power system
Multi-pack lithium-ion main battery via external and main power distribution boards; 5V/12V UBEC; separate 12V payload battery
Companion computer
NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano (15 W envelope)
Primary sensor
Basler a2A5320 — 16 MP (5320 × 3040) global-shutter camera
Operating environment
Autonomous search at ≈ 150 ft (46 m) AGL, SUAS mission profile

Values drawn from the team's own integration and testing are final; rows marked. Competition limits are per the SUAS 2026 rules.

FLIGHT READINESS DEMONSTRATION

Watch Our Proof of Flight Readiness

This footage shows ASCENT-1 performing controlled flight during the team's preparation for the SUAS 2026 competition — a demonstration of the airframe's airworthiness and the flight stack's readiness ahead of full autonomous missions.

SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

Engineering Subsystems

AI & Communication

The onboard autonomy stack and the fault-tolerant MAVLink link between the Jetson companion computer and the Cube Orange+ flight controller.

01

AI & Communication link topology

Payload Systems

In-house 3D-printed payload holders and the release mechanism designed and built for the competition delivery task.

02

Payload Systems 3D printing

Power Systems

The lithium-ion battery architecture, power distribution, and the energy model behind ASCENT-1's endurance.

03

Power Systems energy analysis

Autonomous Flight

The Cube Orange+ flight controller, ArduPilot configuration, and the mission state machine that flies every behavior.

04

Autonomous Flight mission state machine

Computer Vision

Real-time object detection on the edge — from the Basler camera's raw capture to TensorRT YOLO and pixel-to-ground georeferencing.

05

Computer Vision perception pipeline

Mission Planning

Coverage planning over the search boundary and the simulator used to choose ASCENT-1's search strategy before flight.

06

Mission Planning search simulator
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION

Read Our Team Design Report

This page is a condensed summary of one subsystem. The full engineering detail for ASCENT-1 — requirements, analysis, testing, and results across every subsystem — lives in the team's official Team Design Report submitted to the AUVSI SUAS 2026 competition.

Read the Team Design Report

Full PDF coming soon.

Quick Links

Contact Us

Sunday – Thursday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Aerospace Engineering Laboratory (AE Lab), Building 75, First Floor, KFUPM
ascentkfupm@gmail.com

About KFUPM ASCENT

KFUPM ASCENT is the official Unmanned Aircraft Systems team of King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, representing the university in the SUAS competition through autonomous aerial systems, computer vision, and advanced aerospace engineering.