ESA Academy students put rocketry knowledge into practice
One hundred university students, representing 25 ESA Member States, Associate Members and Canada, recently gathered at Machrihanish Airbase in the United Kingdom where they participated in the final hands-on part of ESA Academy’s Rocketry Training Programme. Tailored to first- and second-year students at the start of their studies, the Rocketry Training Programme provides a multidisciplinary introduction to rocketry and the wider space sector.
During the first half of the year, participants already completed a comprehensive online training, covering topics such as rocket physics and engineering, orbital mechanics, systems engineering, project management, and the business and legal aspects of space activities.
With this theoretical foundation in place, students came together to put their knowledge into practice. From 28 to 30 July 2026, while working in international teams, they assembled and launched their own rockets, including a payload, each tailored to address a specific scientific or technical scenario. These scenarios reflected real engineering tasks encountered in the space sector, including measuring atmospheric conditions during flight, using different sensor technologies to detect stage separation, and comparing rocket position determination methods based on inertial measurement sensors and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).
Each team carried out the final assembly of their rockets themselves. Once assembled, it was time to launch the approximately 1-metre-tall rockets, with students braving the Scottish rain and wind. Rockets were recovered after their flight and the activity concluded with an analysis of the collected flight data. Throughout the week, students were guided and supervised by experienced experts from ESA, Exotopic and the University of Glasgow.
“It was an amazing experience that taught me so much about rocketry that I wouldn’t have learnt solely from university lectures. I also appreciated that we were able to put to practice almost every topic that we talked about during the online lectures,” explains a participant about the Rocketry Training Programme.
In addition to preparations and launches of their own rockets, students also got the chance to visit the MachLab rocket testing facility, which is also located at the Machrihanish Airbase. Here the students could witness an engine test of a small solid motor, providing a unique opportunity to observe propulsion systems in action.
Beyond the technical achievements, the event fostered teamwork, communication, and international collaboration among participants from across Europe and Canada.
A participant summarises: “In a short span of time, I was able to gain experience, connections and lifelong memories.”
By combining hands-on engineering with multidisciplinary problem-solving, the Rocketry Training Programme offered students a valuable glimpse into what it means to work in the space industry and helped prepare the next generation of space professionals.