We’re sharing stories from our global community. Real accounts of how robotics and WRO® have helped shape the lives of students, coaches, and mentors. This one is about Natalie Ruzsicska’s journey from LEGO robots to leading the development of a student-built satellite bound for space.
Sometimes the journey to space doesn’t come in the shape of a big rocket. In Natalie Ruzsicska’s case it was a small flyer left on her team’s table after the national WRO competition in Singapore in 2023. On the front it said: Let’s Learn About Satellites.
“It sounded really cool and it was free. There’s not a lot of free classes nowadays, and since I didn’t have too much going on, I went for it,” she says.
A spur of the moment decision. Now, two years later, Natalie is one of just two students leading the development, launch, and operation of a student-designed nanosatellite.
From timid to team leader
It wasn’t exactly written in carbon fiber that Natalie would fall in love with space. Her first interest was biotech. But in secondary school she saw seniors doing robotics demos and was hooked. One thing held her back, though: robotics meant entering competitions. She had been quiet all through primary school and stayed away from any activity with the word competition stuck to it.
“But I had told myself that when I joined my secondary school, I wanted to be more outgoing. I was really inspired by my seniors and thought, maybe it’s a good idea to learn to be a bit competitive.”
Her first creation was a simple LEGO line-tracing robot. Soon, more challenging builds followed, and she was drawn into WRO. In 2023, her team competed in Future Innovators with a search-and-rescue drone. It was four times bigger than a regular store-bought drone, and they built it from scratch.
One of the biggest challenges, they discovered, was getting answers to their questions. Teachers helped, but they were encouraged to figure things out themselves.
“There was definitely a lot of failure in our entire process. We had to reiterate over and over again. So it was really satisfying when we first got it to fly,” she recalls. “When we brought it to the competition, and it also flew in front of the judges, we were really happy.”
That drone earned them the WRO Innovation Award. Natalie still keeps the medal in her room, a reminder of what she can achieve on days when things aren’t going smoothly.
Satellites and arrows
The flyer she picked up led to online lessons with weekly quizzes. Then a five-day workshop at Nanyang Technological University. There, Natalie and other students built a mock satellite out of 3D-printed parts and circuit boards.
“We got to assemble it with our little screwdriver and programmed it on the Arduino. It was so much fun.”
That workshop opened the door to a student nanosatellite project. Natalie now coordinates subsystems, designs circuit boards, and prepares for the day she’ll sit in a control room watching their CubeSat enter orbit.
“Sometimes I think back to the start of this whole journey: it’s crazy to me that what was just a pamphlet at WRO became working on a satellite that’s going to space.”
Her days are crammed with aerospace studies and satellite work — but she still makes room for another kind of aerodynamics: archery. And hearing her describe it, the 16+ hours of weekly training with Singapore’s national team almost sounds like the perfect additional training for aerospace engineering.
“There are a lot of lessons you can learn from this sport. Focus is definitely one of them, but also letting go of your expectations. It’s how you get the best results.”
Aiming Higher
Natalie is no longer involved with WRO, but from it she carries forward skills she relies on every day: creativity, critical thinking, and perseverance.
“WRO taught me about the spirit of engineering and innovation, which is that you can’t give up. Even if the thing isn’t working right now, there will be a way to make it work in the end. You just have to keep looking for the solution.”
Two years ago, she didn’t know that space and satellites would become her interest. But now it’s something she wants as her future.
“Okay, NASA would be really cool,” she grins. “But I have to see where it takes me. Singapore’s space industry is small, so if I could make a meaningful contribution here, I’d really like that.”
Natalie Ruzsicska profile:
Age: 17
Role in WRO: Former participant in Future Innovators, Innovation Award winner 2023
Current studies: Diploma in Aerospace Engineering at Ngee Ann Polytechnic (just finished year one of three)
Standout: As if building a student nanosatellite wasn’t enough, Natalie won an Endeavour Scholarship in 2024 where proposing a mission to the nearest star system was part of the competition. The prize: A week of hands-on astronaut training at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s Space Camp in Alabama.
