The European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC), organized by the Portuguese Space Agency, has returned to Constância, bringing together around 700 university students from 13 countries. Twenty university teams are participating in the competition, aiming to launch rockets they conceived, designed, and built over the past year. The launches will take place at the Campo Militar de Santa Margarida, in Constância, from October 17 to 20.
Of the total teams, 15 have developed their own engines, and seven of them use liquid propulsion, a technology used in satellite launchers. The students are structured into areas such as engineering (systems, structures, propulsion, avionics, and payload), project management, communication, and safety, mirroring the organization of the space industry.
Four teams have participated continuously since 2021, passing knowledge from one generation of students to the next. Also returning are the winners from previous editions: Aerospace Team Graz (champion in 2023 and 2025), Skyward (2022 and 2024), and EPFL Rocket Team (2021). In the rookie category, five new teams compete, four of them first-timers.
Inês d’Ávila, program manager for Space Transport and Safety and one of the EuRoC managers, explains that the initial selection process weighs experience and previous projects, reserving spots for new teams. The competition challenges students to develop engineering solutions that meet demanding technical and safety criteria, bridging academic training with the real conditions of the space industry.
Marta Gonçalves, program manager for Education and Science at the Portuguese Space Agency, states that the team often serves as students' first professional experience, teaching them to manage budgets, convince sponsors, and adhere to deadlines and safety regulations.
Portugal is represented by the Rocket Experiment Division (RED) from the Instituto Superior Técnico, and by the Minho Aerospace Students’ Team (MAST) from the Universidade do Minho. RED has 78 members, with 35% female participation, while MAST, founded in 2024, comprises 54 students. Portugal submitted eight applications, its highest number ever, making it the country with the most candidate teams for the second consecutive year.
The official opening ceremony will take place tomorrow, Friday, at 11:00 AM, at the Pavilhão Desportivo Municipal de Constância, with the presence of American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Also attending will be Ricardo Conde (President of the Portuguese Space Agency), Sérgio Oliveira (Mayor of Constância), General Eduardo Mendes Ferrão (Chief of Staff of the Army), and Alexander Kinnaird (Engineering Coordinator, ESA Academy).
Between October 17 and 20, the launches will occur at the Campo Militar de Santa Margarida, with three daily windows subject to weather and safety conditions. The Pavilhão Desportivo Municipal de Constância will be open to the public to follow the teams' work.
The competition concludes on October 21 with the presentation of results and the awards ceremony, starting at 2:00 PM, at the Pavilhão Desportivo Municipal de Constância.
