Forward unto Dawn

CanSat is an ESERO project executed by NEMO on the instructions of the Netherlands Space Office (NSO). The aim of the competition is to spark young people’s enthusiasm for a career in technology. In the CanSat competition, SE students lead their own space mission - with a satellite the size of a soft drink can. Together with a group of fellow students, they compete against teams from all over the country. CanSats are small satellites that contain the same essential subsystems as a real satellite. 

Our project focuses on building a miniature satellite which in our case measures atmospheric gasses, temperature and we also included a IR-camera. We were driven to undertake this project by a desire to contribute to environmental monitoring and a personal technical challenge. We believe that this project will provide us with a valuable opportunity to apply engineering principles and develop problem-solving skills.

Our CanSat will undergo a vertical launch aboard a model rocket. Upon reaching its peak altitude, the CanSat will be ejected from the rocket. The CanSat will then initiate its descent downwards, relying on a parachute to ensure a (hopefully) controlled return. Throughout this descent phase, the CanSat will collect data, these include temperature and gas readings, GPS, an IR-picture to measure and record environmental factors, and transmit this data to our designated ground station.

Finally, the CanSat will make a safe landing on the ground, hopefully within the designated landing zone. While the CanSat is making its decent, we will monitor it and proces the information sent to our ground station. With this we hope to make a good analysation about the air quality, and major heatsources.

Rocket where the cansat is launched in.