Ponte de Sor, Portugal, June 24, 2025 (Lusa) - More than 70 pupils in 6th to 9th grade have built and will test microsatellites, the size of a soda can, in Ponte de Sor on Friday and Saturday, in the final of the CanSat Junior initiative.
The Municipal Aerodrome of Ponte de Sor, in the district of Portalegre, will be the ‘stage’ for the 5th edition of this project by ESERO Portugal (European Space Education Resource Office), an educational programme run by the European Space Agency and Ciência Viva.
In a statement, the organisation explained on Tuesday that “more than 70 pupils from all schools in the country will form 14 teams” with the aim of testing “the microsatellites they have built in their respective schools, which are the size of a soda can”.
The Lusa news agency contacted the executive director of Ciência Viva, Ana Noronha, and she emphasised that the pupils have been working on this project “since the beginning of the school year”.
According to the promoters, each CanSat is equipped with sensors and an antenna that communicate with the ground base. The mission involves measuring air temperature and atmospheric pressure and transmitting the data to the ground station.
The highlight will take place on Saturday, starting at 9:30 a.m., with the launch of the microsatellites and presentations to the jury.
“The drones will launch the microsatellites, and they will collect data on pressure and temperature as they fall through the atmosphere,” said the executive director of Ciência Viva.
According to Ana Noronha, they will launch these microsatellites from a height of “100 metres”, as this is CanSat Junior.
“It’s a bit of preparation for CanSat Nacional, which is [with microsatellites launched] by rockets and for secondary school students, with more complex projects,” she added.
The CanSat Junior final programme also includes a visit to Tekever's facilities, a Portuguese company with a unit at the Ponte de Sor Municipal Aerodrome dedicated to the construction of drones (unmanned aircraft), which recently gained unicorn status.
The session entitled “Your wings start here! - careers in the aeronautical sector”, organised by the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), will also take place on Saturday.
According to the promoters, ML Analytics, a Portuguese company specialising in data analysis using Artificial Intelligence (AI), will award an internship to the winners of CanSat Junior.
HYT/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
