Budding rocket engineers launched their futures at the UK CanSat competition, held at Westcott on the first week of March.
Gathering over 250 students aged 14 to 18 from 25 different schools and colleges, the event saw more than 50 teams’ self-made satellites launched on-board 32 rockets.
The competition, organised by ESERO-UK (European Space Education Resource Office, UK), was run by Launch Access Ltd, the UK's leading provider of educational and promotional rocket launch services.
The CanSat competition offers a unique opportunity for students to have their first practical experience of a real space project. They are responsible for all aspects including selecting the mission objectives, designing the CanSat, integrating the components, testing, preparing for launch and then analysing the data.
Participants were tasked with designing a mini satellite, complete with power, sensors, and communication systems, all compacted into the size of a soft drink can. Beyond the primary satellite design, students were encouraged to devise a secondary mission, drawing inspiration from real-world satellite projects. These missions ranged from scientific data analysis to showcasing student-created technology.
Once their CanSats were ready, teams launched them on small rockets with the primary mission to measure air pressure and temperature during descent, with data sent to ground stations for analysis. Students also crafted parachutes to manage their CanSats' descent.
Launch Access Ltd has honed its rockets and launch equipment over the years to best support CanSat flights effectively. The company provides a combination of multiple ground and launch-pad cameras alongside on-board rocket-cams to record each launch from multiple angles. Students receive bespoke images of their flight as a lasting record of their achievement.
Ben Jarvis, Chief Executive of Launch Access said: "We know that some students who had not considered going into STEM careers have followed careers into engineering and science, as a result of taking part in the competition – some going on to work in the space sector. Being able to host one of the launch events at a site like Westcott helps show the students the exciting opportunities that could await should they pursue a career in space and STEM."
The CanSat competition covered launch sites across the UK in March, involving over 300 teams from various schools, with Westcott hosting the first launches of the competition this year. The finals are set for April, the winning team will be invited to a European learning and celebration event organised by ESA.
Among the students’ taking part was an intern from Westcott based Total Carbide, Tom Williams who studies at Silverstone University Technical College. Tom played a pivotal role in the development, manufacturing, and flight testing of a new spacer-piston for dual-CanSat carrying 'Jackdaw-3' rockets.
Nigel MacKenzie, Development Manager at Westcott said: “This was an excellent exercise in showing our support for early academic involvement in space.
“The CanSat competition at Westcott not only gave students a unique hands-on experience in aerospace engineering but also highlighted the UK’s expanding space sector and the thrilling opportunities it offers.”
The UK CanSat Competition is part of a European Space Agency competition run by ESERO-UK from October - April every year. ESERO-UK is run by STEM Learning, improving lives through STEM education.
Credit for image: Launch Access Ltd and ESERO UK
