Registration is open for the 2025–2026 European Astro Pi Challenge!

Astro Pi is an ESA Education project run in collaboration with the Raspberry Pi Foundation and delivered nationally by the European Space Education Resource Offices (ESERO).

The project offers different levels of complexity:

Mission Zero – for beginners (up to 19 years old) to learn to write a simple program that will run in space.

Mission Space Lab – for more experienced coders (up to 19 years old) to carry out a scientific task using a program that will run in space.

Register now and start writing your code!

 

Why join Astro Pi as a teacher or educator?

By participating in the European Astro Pi Challenge, your students will:

• Practise logical thinking and computing skills, using Python programming language
• Gain hands-on experience with scientific experimentation in space
• Have their code run in space and earn a certificate if their program complies with the project rules and receives flight status

What is Astro Pi?

The European Astro Pi Challenge, or Astro Pi for short, is a free educational project. It has two missions that young people up to 19 years old can participate in, depending on their programming abilities. Both missions use Python programming to create short computer programs that will be run on the International Space Station (ISS).

The Astro Pi school project platform offers educators a comprehensive suite of resources to engage students in space science and coding activities, as well as support and community engagement activities.

Every team that submits a program that complies with the official guidelines will be awarded a participation certificate.

Mission Zero: Your pixel art in space

Mission Zero, well suited for beginners, offers a chance for young people to create a piece of pixel art and have it displayed for astronauts to see on two special Raspberry Pi computers, called Astro Pis, aboard the ISS. We’ve chosen some of our favourite pixel art creations from last year's mission and included them as new examples in the project guide – an online resource to help walk you through the mission. Teams can work individually or in groups of up to four to design a nature-inspired image using Python.

The deadline for Mission Zero submissions is 23 March 2026.

Mission Space Lab: Become a space scientist

For our more experienced coders, Mission Space Lab returns with a real-world scientific task: calculate the speed of the ISS as accurately as possible using the Astro Pi's sensors or camera. Teams of two to six young people need to write a Python program that collects data from the Astro Pi computers on the ISS to perform this calculation.

This year, we have made some user improvements to the Astro Pi Replay tool, which allows teams to test their programs with a real-time simulation using historical ISS data and images. This enhanced online tool makes it even easier to see how their program would perform in orbit and troubleshoot any errors.

The submission deadline for Mission Space Lab is 16 February 2026.

Meet the new Astro Pi Ambassador

We are thrilled to introduce you to the Astro Pi ambassador for 2025–2026, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot. Sophie is from France and has had an incredible journey to becoming an astronaut. She is an engineer, has been a helicopter test pilot, and was awarded the French National Order of Merit (Chevalier) for her public services in gender equality in Sciences. Sophie is one of the new “Hoppers” cohort of ESA astronauts who graduated in 2023, and she will be going on her first mission to the ISS in 2026.

Celebrating a decade of Astro Pi programs in space

For ten years, the European Astro Pi Challenge has provided a unique opportunity for young people to engage with computer science and space exploration. Ever since the first Astro Pis arrived on the ISS with now-retired ESA astronaut Tim Peake on his Principia mission in December 2015, young people have been writing programs to run on the ISS. ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet officially launched the European Astro Pi Challenge in October 2016, when he invited teams of students from all ESA Member States to have their codes run on the Astro Pis onboard the ISS. 

How to apply?

Ready to send your programs to space? Participation is open to individuals or teams of students aged up to 19 years old in ESA Member States, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, or Slovakia.  Teams may be registered by teachers or educators, including members of a Scout group, coding or after-school club, or certified home school tutors.

Key dates:

Submissions open: 8 September 2025

Deadline Mission Space Lab: 16 February 2026

Deadline Mission Zero: 23 March 2026

Webinars to be announced to registered teams during the school year.

 

We can't wait to see your programs!

For full project details and to get started visit:  https://astro-pi.org/

Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter on the website to stay up to date on all the latest Astro Pi news and resources.

P.S. We’d love to hear from some previous participants about how Astro Pi has impacted them. If you or someone you know would like to share a story, please email us at contact@astro-pi.org.