The European CanSat Competition 2021 will run fully online
This year has not been easy, especially for school students and teachers across the globe. In spite of these challenges, ESA has sought to adapt so that students do not miss out on yet another exceptional and inspirational learning opportunity. With this in mind, and to be in line with pandemic restrictions across Europe, ESA has decided to turn the European CanSat Competition 2021 into a fully-online event!
The European CanSat Competition Online edition will take place over multiple days, from 29 and 30 September and from 6 to 8 October 2021. The dates were chosen in order to allow the completion of the many National CanSat Competitions which, due to COVID-19, had to be delayed with respect to their usual time frame (typically from March to summer every year).
Instead of participating in a physical launch campaign, the 2021 student finalist teams will gather online where ESA will assign them exciting launch-scenario challenges to which they will need to find solutions. These challenges will consist of two parts: one that is the same for all teams and another that is tailored to the specific secondary mission of a given team. The challenges will entail difficulties that the team will need to overcome, and that may, for instance, require a CanSat re-design.
Even without a physical launch, this approach is set to reinforce the STEM competences of the teams, their problem-solving abilities, and their communication skills.
Outline of the Virtual European CanSat Competition 2021 (subject to modifications)
| 6 September, 22:00 CEST | Deadline for National Organizers to complete National Competitions and communicate winning team to ESA |
| 10 September, 22:00 CEST | Deadline for teams to submit their Final Report* to ESA |
| 29-30 September | Project presentation by teams and presentation of challenges by ESA Jury |
| 1-5 October | Break-out week: teams work offline on the assigned challenges** |
| 6-7 October | Last presentation: Challenge solution and final feedback by ESA Jury |
| 8 October | Jury meeting and Award ceremony |
**The teams will work together virtually or in person, depending on each country’s restrictions.
The Final Report*
All teams participating in the Virtual European CanSat Competition 2021 will need to submit to ESA their Final Report not later than 10 September 2021 at 22:00 CEST (Central European Summer Time). This document is a max 20 page document, including appendices, that summarises all the work done and the progress made by the teams on their project. It should provide a full description of the CanSat mission, system and functionalities, and indicate the steps, rationale and trouble-shooting which was needed to achieve the CanSat refined design, as well as a detailed budget. This document should accurately record all the details of the completed CanSat prototype. This will be the main document provided to the Jury members before the European Competition 2021, who will then be tasked with evaluating the quality of the report, as well as the work and performance of each team.
All National Organizers and participating teams are requested to carefully read the updated 2021 CanSat Competition guidelines.
More information about the Virtual European CanSat Competition 2021 will be provided closer to the event.