CanSat & Satellite Building Workshop

Overview

A CanSat is a complete small satellite system built to fit inside the volume of a soft-drink can. A CubeSat is a small satellite made of standard-sized cubic units. Both are widely used to teach how real spacecraft are designed and built, because they involve the same steps on a manageable scale.

In this workshop, participants work in teams to take a mini-satellite from idea to launch, learning core aerospace engineering concepts along the way.

What participants do

• Design: set a mission goal, choose sensors and plan how power, structure and communication fit together.
• Build: assemble the electronics, write the software and construct the structure.
• Test: check that the satellite works as planned before launch.
• Launch and analyse: launch the CanSat, collect the data it sends back and compare the results with the mission goal.

What participants gain

• An understanding of how a satellite’s subsystems work together
• Practical skills in electronics, programming and teamwork
• Experience of the engineering cycle: design, build, test and improve