The SwissCanSat competition is an educational initiative for teams of Swiss secondary school students to design, build, and launch their own miniature satellite integrated within the volume and shape of a regular soft drink can. After release from an aerostatic balloon to an altitude of less than one kilometre, the CanSat has to perform a certain mission and land safely on the ground.
Mission
The team must build a CanSat and program it to accomplish the following compulsory primary mission: after release and during descent, the CanSat shall measure the following parameters:
- Air temperature
- Air pressure
The secondary mission of the CanSat must be selected by the team. Teams can take ideas from real satellite missions (for example see ESA’s missions), some example secondary missions:
- Advanced telemetry (GPS location, Radiation levels, Acceleration)
- Telecommand
- Landing system
- Control mechanism (land on a fixed-point target)
Calendar
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| End of November 2023 | Registration deadline |
| Beginning of December 2023 | Announcement to selected teams |
| Beginning of December 2023 | Teacher workshop |
| January 2024 | Preliminary Design Review |
| March 2024 | Critical Design Review |
| April 2024 | Final Review |
| End of April 2024 | Launch |
| Beginning of May 2024 | Presentation to jury |
| Mid-May 2024 | Announcement of the winner/Ceremony |
| 20-21 June 2024 | ESA event |
