Nordic CanSat Competition Guidelines

Introduction

During the CanSat operation, each team will get their CanSats launched up to an altitude of approximately 1 000 meter by a rocket. At this altitude the CanSats will be ejected from the rocket. During the descent, the CanSats will perform their missions and send data to the ground trough a radio transmitter. Each team normally consists of four students and one teacher.

The Mission

Before the official European CanSat competition takes place, several national CanSat competitions will be held in various ESA member states. The winners of the national competitions will be able to participate in the European one.

In 2016 both the European and the Nordic CanSat competition will for the first time have a space theme to the competition. The theme will announced by ESA in the near future. Come back later to this page and see this page for more information

In addition to the space theme, there is a list of technical requirements for the CanSat which has to be passed before flight (for example weight and size) and also some requirements during flight (for example decent speed).

CanSat Techical Requirements

  1. All the components (with the exception of parachute, antenna and GPS) of the CanSat must fit inside a European soda can: 115 mm height and 66 mm diameter.
  2. The maximum mass of the CanSat is limited to 350 g.
  3. The CanSat should have a recovery system, such as a parachute or other mechanism for reducing decent rate.
  4. The antennas, transducers and other elements of the CanSat cannot extend beyond the can’s diameter until it has left the rocket.
  5. The deployable subsystems and recovery system can exceed the length of the primary structure, but can’t be deployed before the CanSat is fully ejected from the rocket.
  6. Flight time is limited to 120 sec (If not other agreements have been made).
  7. The descent rate must be between 8 m/s and 11m/s (If not other agreements have been made).
  8. Explosives, detonators, pyrotechnics, flammable materials, dangerous materials and biological payloads are strictly forbidden. All materials used must be safe for personnel, equipment and the environment. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) may be requested in case of doubt.
  9. The CanSat shall operate with a battery. It must be possible for the systems to be powered on for three continuous hours (in the dark).
  10. The CanSat must be able to withstand an acceleration of up to 20G.
  11. The battery must be easily accessible, in case it has to be replaced or recharged in the field.