Inside MIST: Building the Future of Hardware from the Ground Up

At MIST, innovation doesn’t stay on paper for long. It shows up as circuits on a bench, antennas mid-test, and students huddled around designs that will eventually leave Earth altogether. Nowhere is that more apparent than on the Hardware team, where engineering theory turns into something tangible. As RF Communications Co-Lead Haaniya Ahmed puts it, the team is made up of students who are “driven, problem-solvers, and dedicated.” It’s a simple description, and one that fits. Haaniya, a fourth-year Mechatronics and Biomedical Engineering student, joined MIST in 2023 and was quickly pulled into the fast-paced world of satellite hardware design. “We’re designing all our electronics completely in-house,” she explains. “Every schematic, every PCB layout, every component; it’s all built by us, from scratch.” That marks a big shift from earlier missions. “In our last project, we sourced the antenna module externally,” she says. “Now, everything is developed internally, which is exciting… and
definitely more challenging.” After nearly two years of design work, the team is now deep into testing and refinement. For Haaniya, this phase is especially rewarding. “It’s surreal to finally see your designs come to life,” she shares. “You spend so long in simulations and schematics, and then suddenly you’re holding something real in your hands, hoping it behaves the way you imagined.” Alongside communications systems, the team has also taken on one of the satellite’s most critical components: the deployment mechanism. “When the satellite deploys, multiple systems need to activate at very specific moments — antennas, booms, solar panels,” Haaniya explains. “Designing and validating those circuits on a tight timeline has been a huge learning curve, especially because these systems are mission-critical. There’s not much room for error.”

Failure and Feedback

When asked what she’s learned most from her time on MIST, Haaniya doesn’t hesitate. “That failure isn’t failure; it’s feedback.”
In an environment where the stakes are high, it’s this mindset that carries weight. “In school projects, a broken circuit might just mean a lower grade,” she says. “But when you’re building something that’s actually going into space, every mistake becomes a lesson. You learn from it, adapt, and move forward. Together.” That last part, she emphasizes, is key. “No one’s ever on their own here. If someone hits a roadblock, everyone jumps in to help figure it out. That sense of teamwork is honestly the best part of the hardware team.”

Engineering in the Real World

Working on satellite hardware has also reshaped how Haaniya thinks about engineering more broadly. “It really teaches you that theory can only take you so far,” she says. “Real engineering is about iteration, collaboration, and making things work within real constraints.” Those constraints—limited time, limited budgets, real consequences—reflect what engineers face beyond the classroom. “You don’t get infinite resources. Learning how to work within those limits is what actually prepares you for industry.”
Her advice for students interested in hardware is straightforward: just start building. “Grab a breadboard. Blow up a capacitor,” she laughs. “Seriously. You learn so much more by doing than by waiting until you feel ‘ready.’ Don’t be afraid of mistakes. Every one of them teaches you something.”

A More Connected Future

As the PRESET mission progresses, the Hardware team is entering a new phase of collaboration. “Early on, each subteam worked more independently,” Haaniya reflects. “Now that we’re assembling the full satellite, everything’s becoming interconnected; electrical, power, communications, software. It really feels like watching puzzle pieces come together.” That integration not only makes the work more exciting, but it reflects how engineering actually works in practice. “No one builds in isolation. Every subsystem has to work together, and that’s exactly what we’re learning here.” When asked what she would tell her first-year self, Haaniya smiles, “Don’t stress about knowing everything. None of us do. What matters is curiosity and being willing to ask questions. That’s how you grow, and that’s how great projects get built.” At MIST, the Hardware team isn’t just assembling circuits. They’re building confidence, collaboration, and the foundations of student-led space innovation, one component at a time. And in this case, those components are headed somewhere pretty extraordinary.