How your Company works

The Company Experience

A group of young people sitting and standing around a table in a conference or event space, with laptops, water bottles, and snacks, engaged in a discussion or presentation.

At the South African Space Design Competition (ZASDC), you’ll join forces with students from across the country to form part of a fictional aerospace company competing for a major contract: the design of a new space settlement.

Your company is your team — a blend of different schools, skills, and perspectives united by a shared challenge. Success depends on your ability to collaborate, communicate, and adapt quickly under pressure.

Each company is assigned the profile of a prime contractor, a fictional organisation with its own specialism and background that you can reference in your proposal. These primes create structure and identity for your team - just like in real aerospace projects.

Learn About The Fictional universe

Who Will Be In My Company?

You’ll be placed into a company made up of students from multiple schools. Depending on numbers, there may be 40–60 participants per company at the national finals, each bringing their own strengths and interests.

Some students will thrive on the technical side, while others will lead, organise, or communicate. The key is recognising everyone’s value early and working to your strengths.

The best companies identify their skills, gaps, and priorities quickly, then build a strategy to deliver a unified, well-organised proposal.

Leadership elections

At the start of the competition, you’ll meet your company in your assigned workspace. Each company is supported by a team of CEOs - experienced volunteers who act as mentors throughout the weekend.

These mentors will host the first election: choosing your Company President. Each candidate gives a short speech explaining why they’re suited for the role.

Once elected, the President will help run further elections for Heads of Department (e.g. Structures, Operations, Human Factors, Automation, and Business/Marketing). Departments then start organising tasks and schedules for the two-day design sprint.

💡 Tip: vote for strong leaders, not just your friends. The best companies have diverse, balanced leadership teams that communicate clearly and motivate everyone.

Company Structure

Leadership Breakdown

Organizational chart of a company's leadership and engineering teams, including CEO, President, Vice Presidents, Department Heads, and Engineers with their roles and responsibilities.
Flowchart showing a department breakdown with roles including VP of Engineering and Business Marketing, Head of Department evaluating RFPs, two Sub-Team Leaders managing their teams and reporting to HOD, and four Team Members working on RFPs.

Working Like A Real Company

A group of eleven people standing outdoors in front of a brick building, holding a South African flag. They are smiling and appear to be enjoying a social gathering.

Throughout the weekend, your company will operate like a real aerospace contractor.
You’ll:

  • Assign roles and delegate tasks.

  • Hold internal meetings to integrate designs.

  • Negotiate decisions across departments.

  • Prepare a final proposal and presentation for submission.

Working this way is challenging but it’s also what makes the experience so authentic. You’ll learn how professional engineers and project managers think, collaborate, and lead under real-world constraints.

Learn About RFP Sections
See What You'll Need For The Competiton