It was in 11th grade when I discovered the “Fly a Rocket!” programme organised by the European Space Agency (ESA) in collaboration with Andøya Space and the Norwegian Space Agency. I set the goal of applying to this initiative that brings together university students from across ESA member states to gain hands-on experience in the space industry. So, as soon as I got into college, in my first year of aerospace engineering bachelor’s degree, I accomplished this dream.
After a two-stage selection process, including an online course covering topics such as rocket dynamics and electronics, I was thrilled to be among the 24 students selected for the Launch Campaign at Andøya Space Centre from August 19th to 23rd, 2024. An immersive week of practical learning, building, and launching a student-sounding rocket in Northern Norway.
The week began with introductions and a tour of Andøya Space, then we started working. There were four teams: Flight Simulation, Telemetry, Sensor Experiments and Payload. As a member of the Sensor Experiments section, I soldered, calibrated, and tested the photosensor for our rocket, which primarily served to determine the rocket’s spin rate throughout the flight. Additionally, I had the opportunity to be the co-principal Investigator for the Sensors team. This role came with the responsibility of coordinating communication on the progress throughout the campaign and the scientific casework ideas (the mission objectives for our rocket). This includes liaising with other working sections and presenting the status meetings together with three other co-principal Investigators. We also released our weather balloon probes, tracking their journey and collecting real-time atmospheric data important for the case studies.
It took three days to complete the work on our rocket, which we named “QUACK I” – in reference to ‘Andøya’ meaning ‘island of the ducks’. On August 22nd, “QUACK I” successfully reached an altitude of 9372 meters, transmitting data in real-time. During the launch, I was stationed in the scientific room where we monitored the launch countdown procedures and watched the data coming in throughout the flight. Seeing our efforts come to life and all the sensors performing very well, giving us lots of interesting data for our case studies, was an incredible feeling.
Beyond the technical aspects, the program provides a fantastic opportunity to connect with professionals working in the space industry and fellow students. Being in such a beautiful place, surrounded by such capable and motivated people, all driven by a passion for rocketry and space, was truly amazing.
During the week we also had lots of free time to socialise – we went hiking, we also went for a swim at the beach, and we got the opportunity to visit the Polar Museum and the Andenes Lighthouse. One of the most fun team-building activities was at Andøya’s educational space centre, playing the VR role-playing game “Journey to Mars” where you travel to the Red Planet as a research crew to investigate the possibility of life.
On the last day we worked on getting preliminary results from the data collected for the final report. We ended the week with one last evening together and a celebratory dinner.
All in all, my experience at the Fly a Rocket! Launch Campaign was a dream come true. I learned more about rockets and how they are prepared for scientific missions and also made friendships that will last for a lifetime. I’m very grateful to everyone involved in putting together this phenomenal initiative. And I highly recommend every student interested in rockets and space to apply for this programme.
Gonçalo Martins
Member of AS Lisboa