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CompetitionSpainMerit-basedLeadership

CanSat Spain: the ESA school challenge to build a can-sized mini-satellite (register by 30 November 2026, final in Granada on 12–13 May 2027)

A European Space Agency challenge for pupils aged 14–19: a team builds a can-sized mini-satellite, launches it and presents the results to a jury. Regional finals are in March–April 2027 and the national final in Granada on 12–13 May; the winner goes to ESTEC. Registration is open until 30 November 2026.

ESERO España / Agencia Espacial Europea· CanSat España – ESERO / Agencia Espacial Europea

At a glance

Amount

No cash prize: the budget for building the CanSat is at most €500 (the team provides it). The winner of the national final represents Spain at ESA's CanSat Space Engineering Summit (ESTEC, Noordwijk, 30 June to 2 July 2027)

Deadline
30 Nov 2026

30 November 2026

Applications open: 24 September 2026

Covers
ProgrammeTravel
Duration

One-off

Cycle: 2026/2027

About this grant

CanSat Spain is a school competition of the European Space Agency (run by ESERO España): a team of pupils aged 14–19 builds a can-sized mini-satellite with a primary mission (measuring temperature and pressure) and its own secondary one, launched from a rocket or drone to about 1,000 metres. There is no cash prize: the budget for building the CanSat is at most €500, contributed by the team.

Regional finals pick one team for the national final in Granada (12–13 May 2027), where the jury assesses the projects and launch results; the winner goes to ESA's CanSat Space Engineering Summit at ESTEC (Noordwijk, 30 June – 2 July 2027). Registration for 2026/27 runs from 24 September to 30 November 2026.

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Who can apply

Citizenship
any
Education level
4th year of ESO, 1st year of Bachillerato, 2nd year of Bachillerato
Fields of study
Engineering, Natural sciences
Other
Pupils aged 14–19 (ESO, Bachillerato and vocational): the team builds a CanSat with a primary mission (temperature and pressure readings) and its own secondary one; it is launched by rocket or drone to about 1,000 metres

How to apply

Where to go and what to do, step by step

Where to apply
The ESERO Spain “CanSat” page (esero.es/desafios/cansat)
https://esero.es/desafios/cansat/
Go to the application page
Who submits it
You yourself
Time needed
The whole school year: project, tests, regional and national stages

Steps

  1. 1

    Check the conditions: pupils aged 14–19 (ESO, Bachillerato and vocational); find a team and a teacher to support you.

  2. 2

    Register your team from 24 September to 30 November 2026 (school year 2026/2027) on the CanSat page; questions to cansatspain@esero.es.

  3. 3

    Follow the training: the CanSat course on YouTube runs on Tuesdays from 27 October to 15 December 2026, 17:00–19:00 (Spanish mainland time).

  4. 4

    Design the CanSat: it must fulfil the primary mission (measure temperature and pressure) and your own secondary one (an experiment, photos, a prototype of a future mission).

  5. 5

    Build and test it: all on a budget of up to €500.

  6. 6

    Take part in the regional final (March–April 2027: a launch or a project defence); one team per region is chosen for the national final.

  7. 7

    The national final is in Granada on 12–13 May 2027: the winner represents Spain at ESA's CanSat Space Engineering Summit at ESTEC (30 June – 2 July 2027).

Apply by:30 Nov 202630 November 2026

What exactly to submit

Documents and materials to attach to the application.

  • Team registration in the 24 September – 30 November 2026 window
  • A CanSat project with a primary and a secondary mission
  • A budget of up to €500
  • Details for the regional and national stages per ESERO's requirements

Example

Example (written by us): Ana and four classmates from her school register a team in November, follow the Tuesday course, devise a secondary mission (measuring air humidity during the fall), build the CanSat for €400 and compete in the regional final in March.

An example we wrote to illustrate: it is not an official sample, replace the details with your own.

How applicants are chosen

Regional finals each pick one team for the national final; in Granada a jury judges the projects and launches; the winner represents Spain at ESTEC.

What happens after you apply

There is no cash prize: the national-final winner goes to ESA's CanSat Space Engineering Summit in Noordwijk (30 June – 2 July 2027) and meets winners from other countries there. Build budget: up to €500.

Common mistakes

  • Missing the 30 November 2026 registration
  • Going over the €500 budget by choosing expensive parts
  • Forgetting the secondary mission: you need the primary and your own
  • Starting tests in the last month before the regional stage

Tips

  • We haven't re-checked the conditions by hand yet: compare amounts and deadlines with the official page before applying.

Official links

Guide checked against the official pages: 9 October 2026. Guide written from official sources. Details may change: check them on the application page.

A letter template and a checklist to review before sending. If a local model is running on your computer, the text reads more naturally.

Verbatim from the source

“Reta a estudiantes entre los 14 y 19 años de toda Europa a construir un mini satélite del tamaño de una lata de refresco.”
Original in spanishOfficial source

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This information is for guidance only. Conditions change every year — check them on the provider's official website before applying.

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