Challenge your students to design and build a satellite the size of a soda can with CanSat! Secondary school student teams must fit essential satellite parts into a container the volume and shape of a soda can. More than 24 countries in Europe are having dedicated national competitions. Join your national CanSat event and take on the challenge with your team! National winners will be invited by ESA to attend the ‘Space Engineer for a Day’ event at ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands in June 2025. Visit the CanSat website for more details.
What is a CanSat?
A CanSat is a simulation of a real satellite, integrated within the volume and shape of a soft drinks can. The challenge for the students is to fit all the major subsystems found in a satellite, such as power, sensors, and a communication system, into this minimal volume. The CanSat is then launched by a rocket up to an altitude of approximately one kilometer, or dropped from a platform, drone, or captive balloon. Then its mission begins. This involves carrying out either a scientific experiment, a technology demonstration or achieving a safe landing, after which the collected data are analysed.
Every participating CanSat team will have to accomplish two missions: a mandatory primary mission to transmit and collect air temperature and pressure data at least once a second by radio communication; and a secondary mission that is left entirely to the team’s creativity and ambitions. This secondary mission could involve collecting data during the descent of some physics variables, studying Earth’s atmosphere and habitability, designing a rover that fits inside the CanSat, or any other innovative idea.
National Competitions
This year, most ESA Member and Associate States conduct national CanSat competitions. Check all National Competitions details here. We are happy to announce that Estonia will organize its first CanSat competition this year! Registration is open to*:
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Teams of 3-6 young people aged 14 to 19 years old.
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You must sign up with a teacher or mentor.
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Participants must be from an ESA Member State, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia or Slovenia.
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Students enrolled at a post-secondary/tertiary institution are not eligible to apply.
*Please be aware that further requirements may be imposed by your National Organiser.
Space Engineer for a Day
Winning teams from each National Competition will be invited by ESA to its technical centre in the Netherlands for a European learning and celebration event: ‘Space Engineer for a Day’, to take place on 18-19-20 June 2025. This event will celebrate your accomplishments, allowing your team to experience the daily life of an engineer in the space industry.
National winning teams will be able to:
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Explore ESA’s facilities
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Hear first-hand from ESA space experts
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Present your work to experts in a poster session
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Enjoy social and space-themed activities
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Participate in hands-on workshops
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Network with the other national winning teams in a truly international environment.
For more information visit cansat.esa.int and contact us at cansat@esa.int.
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