●World's first ever
Builders · Artists · Architects
Human and machine, building together. You can't fake a build. That's the whole idea.
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Editions
Every partnership is
its own edition
Rocketathon runs repeatedly, with a different partner each time. Each edition gets its own page.
Rocketathon
Zero
Alkhidmat Karachi Edition
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Edition
One
Partner to be announced
Edition
Two
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01 · Why this exists
In 2024 we started PK2047, a citizen-led movement to make Pakistan the world's most entrepreneurial emerging nation by its 100th year.
In 2025 we named the proof point. By 2047, 169 people will travel beyond low Earth orbit, toward Mars, and home. Only 28 humans in history have gone that far, so this is a 6x leap in 21 years.
A goal like that needs thousands of builders across every layer of technology. A CV can't tell us who can build under pressure, and neither can an interview. So we built a format that can.
02 · The format
What Rocketathon is
It's the next evolution of the hackathon. You won't spend the day polishing a pitch. You'll work alongside AI to build something that functions, and you'll be graded on what you actually demonstrate.
Five layers. Two roles that hold them together. One rocket.
Every challenge sits on one layer of the stack a nation needs to reach space. It's the same stack a modern economy runs on.
Layers don't fly on their own. Two roles run across all five.
A rocket fails if any one layer fails, or if nobody owns how the layers connect. So does an economy. That's why every team needs all seven seats, and why every team has at least one Systems Integrator.
The one rule
Whatever you build has to stand on its own and serve a real need today. Water recovery for a spacecraft has to work for a Karachi neighbourhood first.
That rule keeps us honest. It's also how 21 years of this pays for itself instead of depending on donations.
03 · Seven seats
Find your seat
Your subject is a signal, not a gate. The lists below show where you're likely to be fastest on day one. They don't decide whether you can enter. Rocketathon grades what you demonstrate, not what's on your transcript. If your subject isn't listed and you can do the work, register anyway and name the seat you want.
01 · Energy
Power & Propulsion
You'll like this if you want to know why load-shedding happens, or you like engines, batteries, solar panels, or anything that burns, moves or heats.
At school
Matric Science, FSc Pre-Engineering, A Level Physics or Chemistry.
Polytechnic, DAE, vocational
DAE Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Auto & Diesel, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, solar PV installation, electrical trades.
At university
Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, Electrical (Power), Energy Systems and Materials Engineering. Applied Physics, Chemistry, Petroleum and Environmental Engineering also fit.
02 · Chips
Avionics & Electronics
You'll like this if you've built with Arduino, soldered a circuit, taken a phone apart to see inside, or flown a drone.
At school
FSc Pre-Engineering, ICS, A Level Physics or Computer Science.
Polytechnic, DAE, vocational
DAE Electronics, Instrument Technology, Telecommunication, Computer Information Technology, mobile and electronics repair.
At university
Electronics, Electrical, Computer, Mechatronics, Telecommunication and Avionics Engineering, and Physics.
03 · Data centres
Compute & Networks
You'll like this if you enjoy building PCs, setting up networks, keeping systems running, or working out how the cloud actually works.
At school
ICS, A Level Computer Science.
Polytechnic, DAE, vocational
DAE Computer Information Technology, Telecommunication, networking certifications, IT support.
At university
Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, IT, Telecommunication, Cybersecurity and Data Science.
04 · AI models
AI & Models
You'll like this if you want to know how ChatGPT works inside, you enjoy maths puzzles and patterns in data, or you've trained or fine-tuned a model yourself.
At school
ICS, FSc Pre-Engineering, A Level Maths, Further Maths or Computer Science.
Polytechnic, DAE, vocational
DAE Computer Information Technology. Self-taught AI and data courses count if you can show the work.
At university
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Mathematics and Statistics. Linguistics, Economics and Psychology fit too, because models have to be tested against how people actually speak and behave.
05 · Applications
Apps & Products
You'll like this if you've built a website or app, you freelance, or you notice a problem people have and want to fix it.
At school
Any stream. ICS helps but isn't required.
Polytechnic, DAE, vocational
DAE Computer Information Technology, web and app development courses, freelancing experience.
At university
Software Engineering, Computer Science and IT. This seat also needs domain people: Medicine and Public Health, Business, Education, Agriculture and the Social Sciences. The best applications come from people who know the problem, not just the code.
06 · Across all five
Systems Integrator
You'll like this if you're the one who sees how the pieces fit, keeps a team moving, makes the hard trade-off call, and fixes whatever is broken at 4pm.
No degree maps to this seat. It's open on merit. People who do well here often come from Mechatronics, Industrial or Systems Engineering, Engineering Management, Business and Operations, or Law. It also suits DAE technicians who have built a whole machine end to end, team captains, robotics club leads, and anyone who has run a project from start to finish.
07 · Across all five
Simulation & Story
You'll like this if you do 3D, games, animation, film or writing, or you're the person who can explain something complex so anyone understands it.
At school
Any stream, especially Art, Media or Computer Science.
Polytechnic, DAE, vocational
Graphic design, video editing, 3D modelling, and animation courses.
At university
Industrial and Communication Design, Architecture, Animation, Game Design, Film, Media Studies and Mass Communication, Journalism, and English and Literature.
This is a core seat, not a side one. Every rocket flies thousands of times in simulation before it flies once, and thousands of people can only build one thing if someone makes it visible and understood.
Not sure yet? Pick a first and a second choice when you register. Most people find their seat on the day. And if you're thinking you don't belong in a room like this, that's usually the first sign you do.
04 · Partnership
Rocketathon runs through
partners, by design
We don't build a parallel system. Pakistan already has the schools, polytechnics, universities, NGOs and companies with people ready to build. Rocketathon is how PK2047 works with them. Each partnership runs as its own edition.
01 · Host an edition
You bring the people, the venue and the community. We bring the format, the challenges, the AI tooling and the grading.
02 · Set a challenge
Enterprises bring a real problem from one of the five layers and see who can solve it in a day.
03 · Open a pathway
Universities and employers take demonstrated talent into internships, research and hiring. Education partners can co-develop microcredentials with PK2047 Labs in the skills Pakistan doesn't yet teach.
Every partner gets the same thing back: a map of who can build, what they can build, and which seat they fill. That's evidence, not attendance numbers.
Bring Rocketathon to your institution →05 · The road
From one day to 2047
STAGE 01
Rocketathon
Prove you can build. Zero is the one-day front door. The full Rocketathon takes the strongest teams into multi-day builds, harder problems and hardware.
STAGE 02
The Rocket Guy Space
The founder operating system: become a founder. The Founder Mode Accelerator (FMA) takes ideas to commercial products and builds the founder through SMBTV: Soul, Mind, Body, Trust and Value. FMA gets you to Labs.
STAGE 03
PK2047 Labs
Build the mission. Founders, students, graduates and researchers build the systems behind the 169 Mission. Labs works with institutions to create microcredentials in the skills Pakistan doesn't yet teach. Builders who are ready on the day come here directly from Rocketathon.
STAGE 04
Phoenix Venture House
Entreprentice. PVH is the founding steward of PK2047 and brings the ecosystem, global network and capital. Ventures that have proven their product and their founder get funded to grow.
STAGE 05
PK2047
The destination. A more entrepreneurial Pakistan, and 169 people beyond Earth and home by 2047.
Every company on this road solves a problem on Earth now and builds capability Pakistan needs later.
Who's behind it
Rocketathon is run by The Rocket Club and PK2047 Labs, with Phoenix Venture House as founding steward of PK2047. It's delivered with our partner institutions.
