Students launch soda can satellites in national space challenge

By admin On Mar 25, 2025

The CanSat competition will be held in Vaasa from 27 to 30 March 2025.

Students from across Finland will launch working satellite models built into soda cans to altitudes of up to three kilometres as part of the national CanSat competition in Vaasa, held from 27 to 30 March 2025.

The competition, aimed at 14–19-year-olds, is part of the European Space Agency’s education programme and challenges teams to apply science and technology skills in a hands-on project that mirrors real satellite development.

In the CanSat competition, young people launch can-sized satellites to altitudes of several kilometres aboard a rocket.

Each CanSat is a fully functional satellite prototype, built to fit inside a standard beverage can. Students design the structure, install sensors and components, write measurement software, test their systems, and analyse collected data after launch. The project culminates in a rocket flight, with launches taking place over the Söderfjärden meteorite crater near Vaasa.

Participants work in teams of four to six under teacher supervision. This year’s event has attracted a record number of entries from cities including Vaasa, Oulu, Pyhäjoki, Kokkola, Tampere, Lahti, Hämeenlinna, Järvenpää, Espoo, Helsinki and even Tallinn.

CanSats will measure parameters such as temperature, pressure and other variables chosen by each team. After descending by parachute, the data is analysed and presented to a panel of judges drawn from Finnish space sector organisations. The winning team will advance to the European CanSat final at ESA’s research centre ESTEC in the Netherlands.

Petri Lehikoinen, Counsellor of Education, said the event brings practical science and engineering into classrooms in a meaningful and motivating way. The competition also encourages public interest in space technology and supports students considering careers in science and technology fields.

CanSat Finland is coordinated by ESERO Finland, which is led by science centre Heureka in collaboration with a national network that includes the Finnish Space Research Society, Åbo Akademi Skolresurs, University of Vaasa, Arctic Astronautics, Kvarken Space Center, Meteoria Visitor Centre, Vaasan Andromeda ry, LUMA Centre Ostrobothnia, Vaasa Energy Academy, and Waasa Innovation Center.

The event is funded by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, the Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation, and ESA.

The CanSat initiative is part of a wider effort by ESERO to address declining interest in STEM careers by bringing space science into schools. In Finland, ESERO runs teacher training programmes, space-themed events, school camps, and projects like CanSat that combine science learning with creative problem-solving.

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi