ESERO Ireland and BCO celebrate Kildare students representing Ireland at ESA CanSat event
Published
ESERO Ireland and MTU’s Blackrock Castle Observatory (BCO) congratulate four students from Confey College in Co. Kildare who recently represented Ireland at the prestigious European Space Agency (ESA) CanSat event held at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands.
The students were invited to join 25 national winners from across Europe at the annual ‘Space Engineer for a Day’ event to showcase their innovative satellite project and take part in hands-on learning with leading space engineers.
Funded and supported by ESERO Ireland and Research Ireland, the CanSat competition is a STEM initiative run nationally by MTU’s Blackrock Castle Observatory. In partnership with Technological Universities (TUs), who provide critical technical mentorship, access to laboratory facilities and ongoing support to schools, the competition challenges second-level students to design, build, and test satellites built inside soft drink cans. This helps students to develop skills in engineering, programming and teamwork.
Confey College’s winning project included features such as particle and gas sensors, solar-powered battery recharging, and SMS messaging technology which shows one of the actual space mission challenges. Their project successfully processed scientific data during a 300-metre rocket drop test.
Alan Giltinan, Manager, Blackrock Castle Observatory, said: “We at Blackrock Castle Observatory are proud to support young people across Ireland in their journey to become the next generation of space engineers and scientists. Through CanSat, we provide students with opportunities to develop their STEM skills, solve real engineering problems and get exposure to Europe’s space sector. The Confey College team’s success at ESTEC is a testament to their dedication and the value of this programme.”
“CanSat is a unique challenge that builds resilience, creativity and collaboration in students. The trip to ESTEC offered invaluable insight into the space industry and inspired our students to pursue STEM careers.”
Mary Selkirk, teacher and mentor at Confey College, praised the competition’s impact
Brendan Owens, Research Ireland and ESERO Ireland, said: “CanSat is a wonderful opportunity for students to get involved in real-world space science applications when designing, building, and programming their CanSat, as well as then analysing the data gathered. This Space Engineer for a Day event is a valuable reward, and we would love to see more schools and teams signing up to participate for the 2025-2026 competition from September, as well as taking part in the many other ESERO school projects.”
“I had a fantastic trip to the Netherlands where I gained valuable insights into space technology, particularly ESA’s future lunar missions. I also learned about the ideas and innovations of other teams. This CanSat competition was a great challenge and success. As the team’s parachute specialist, I improved my problem-solving skills and my teamwork abilities.”
Eason Zhu, from the winning team
CanSat takes place annually and the national winning team earns the opportunity to participate in ESA’s prestigious ESTEC event the following June. ESERO Ireland and MTU Blackrock Castle Observatory look forward to supporting the next generation of innovators and invite schools to apply for the 2026 competition.
For more information or to apply, visit our CanSat project page.
