Can-sized satellites take wing

On Friday morning the training grounds, where strict military exercises are normally held, transformed into a launching site. Tension was palpable in the air as the students waited for the launch.

The rocket took to the sky quickly and forcefully, taking with it a series of can-sized satellites. All eyes were turned to the sky for a few moments until the students could spot the satellites.

Tied to small colourful parachutes, the satellites started descending towards the ground, each with their own scientific mission to carry out.

Each satellite has its own scientific mission

The CanSat competition for secondary school students in CanSat Junior for primary schools is a competition that gives youths practical experience in space technology and science, and it stimulates an interest in a future education and career in science, technology, engineering and maths.

In Slovenia the competition is organised by the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO) and the Slovenian Armed Forces. ESERO is a project in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national partners.

In the competition the teams carry out the entire process of planning a space mission, education coordinator at ESERO Slovenia and organiser of the competition Monika Tisel told the STA.

"Each team designs and constructs its miniature satellite the size of a can, which includes functioning sensors, a communication module and a power supply. Once the satellites are launched into the sky, their mission begins. The mission includes performing a science experiment, a safe landing, and the analysis of data collected.

Students had to perform two tasks. The first, which was the same for all, was to measure the temperature and atmospheric pressure and use the data to calculate at what height the satellite was dropped and at what speed it descended.

Teams also chose a secondary mission of their own. "That is up to the imagination and interests of the teams. They often draw inspirations from real space project but they can also develop their own, creative ideas. They can decide that they will take pictures of the Earth's surface and create a map, measure air quality or presence of ozone, or anything else they want," Tisel said.

One of the teams was VegaSat, a group of students from the Electrotechnical and Computer Technical School and Gymnasium in Ljubljana. "Our team's goal this year was to collect and analyse the data from all the sensors we added on our satellite," team member Tia Udovičić said.

"We used sensors to measure acceleration, movement and the presence of different gases, such as butane, propane, alcohol, carbon monoxide and others. We also have two cameras, a normal and a thermal one, to film the area below the satellite during its descend," she said.

On the ground the team also had a station with an algorithm to process the images and data. "The aim of our project is to recognise the areas that could pose a potential danger, for example because of the presence of dangerous gases, risks of fires or tree diseases," Udovičić said. "We want to find ways how to use these technologies to contribute to a more effective and environmentally friendly way of monitoring nature," she said.

Competition that forges friendships

The team spent seven months preparing for the competition. "We had to improvise a lot but that is the beauty of this competition. These experiences teach us how to solve very specific problems that can threaten the mission quickly and effectively. In today's world where technology and science are developing extremely quickly, such skills are invaluable," VegaSat team's mentor Ema Škerl said.

CanSat is more than just a competition. "It's about connecting teams, cooperation, meeting new people, exchanging knowledge and making friends. It's not just about who is better but about growing together," Udovičić said. "The competition often brought us to the brink of our abilities but that was what encouraged us to outdo ourselves and make a step forward both in knowledge, understanding and teamwork," she added.

Winning teams to go to the Netherlands

The VegaSat team took second place in the CanSat competition ahead of Perkmandlci from the Secondary Technical and Vocational School Trbovlje.

First place went to the AquilaSAT team from the Ptuj School Centre and the Ptuj Gymnasium. Their satellite was on a rocket that crashed but they continued to receive the data without interruption.

As a secondary mission they developed a landing system that would allow the satellite to stand upright after the landing. They were unable to complete their mission as the satellite landed below the surface of the Earth. The team proved that they were ready to tackle real space challenges with a sophisticated technical solution and a scientific approach, the jury said.

In the CanSat Junior the only competitors and the winners were the RADIA team from the Rodica primary school.

ESA will invite the winners to a two-day event Space Engineer for a Day in June at ESA's European space research and technology centre in the Netherlands.