During the German CanSat Explorer competition 2020/21, nine teams from all over Germany develop and construct their own mini satellites with schoolchildren from the age of 14. The task of the satellites the size of a beverage can is to localize objects on the ground – very similar to what happens with space probes when exploring planets. The special thing about this year’s competition: The mini satellites had to be designed and built taking into account contact restrictions and homeschooling. On May 25th, the time has come: Then the finished CanSats will be brought to the Rotenburg (Wümme) airfield with a small rocket to a height of one kilometer and show what they can! The school teams, who unfortunately cannot be there this time, will follow the event via livestream.CanSat Explorer competition 2021 live stream
The German CanSat competition has been held annually since 2014 in cooperation with companies and institutions from the aerospace industry. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the competition was held in a purely virtual form for the first time. Over the past seven months, the teams have been working on their satellites with great motivation and developing innovative ideas. For example, one team uses an extension mechanism for cameras in combination with a ball-bearing mount for the parachute in order to take optimal pictures during the flight. In addition to the construction of the satellite, the evaluation of the recorded image data is one of the technical challenges that the teams have to solve. One team makes use of artificial intelligence. After evaluating the data, the school teams will present their results on 17.
The application phase for the next CanSat competition starts in August 2021. Further information as well as the guidelines and the application form can be found at: Cansat.de
All co-organizers, sponsors and partners at a glance:
The patron of the competition is the Bremen Senator for Children and Education Dr. Claudia Bogedan. The following institutions are involved in the campaign: ArianeGroup, Auf Distance, Bremen Airport, German Aerospace Center (DLR), DSI Aerospace Technologie GmbH (DSI), European Union via the European Regional Development Fund, European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Education Resource Office Germany (ESERO Germany), Rotenburg (Wümme) airfield, Vegesack high school, Institute for Aerospace Technology (IAT) at the University of Bremen, moskito 360 ° brand agency, OHB Bremen, Rocketronics, Ruhr University Bochum, Space Rocket Technology UG, Spacebenefit eV, Technical Education Center Mitte, VDI eV Bremer Bezirksverein, Center for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) of the University of Bremen.