Luxembourg student wins Ellison Scholars Prize for hypersonic wind tunnel project
Rodion Zaichikov built an arc-jet wind tunnel to test a scramjet engine at temperatures above 3,000°C.
Rodion Zaichikov, a 15-year-old student at the International School Luxembourg, won the Ellison Scholars Prize at the 37th European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in Kiel, Germany, in September 2026, according to the Times of India.
His project, titled 'Expanding low-cost hypersonic wind tunnel with arc jet capabilities', involved constructing an arc-jet wind tunnel to test a scramjet engine model under extreme conditions.
The device uses an arc jet and a specially designed convergent-divergent nozzle to reach temperatures exceeding 3,000°C, simulating the intense heat of hypersonic flight.
Zaichikov also developed a Schlieren imaging system to make air density changes and shock waves visible during his experiments.
The project aims to provide a more affordable alternative to expensive, rare arc-jet facilities that are typically used to study hypersonic technology.
The student has previously received awards at the Taiwan International Science Fair and the Mostra Nacional de Ciência in Portugal. He intends to further his research with the goal of developing a vehicle that can be fully controlled and return to Earth.