Kerry students win European Space Agency CanSat competition
Team ‘The ARC’ from Mercy Mounthawk will represent Ireland at a European Space Agency event later this year.
Students from Kerry have been crowned national champions of the ESERO Ireland CanSat competition, a flagship European Space Agency initiative that challenges secondary school students to design, build and launch a working mini-satellite that fits inside a drinks can.
Team ‘The ARC’ from Mercy Mounthawk will now represent Ireland on the European stage later this year at an event hosted by the European Space Agency.
The two-day national final in Co. Laois brought together six teams from across the country. Students launched their CanSats by rocket, captured and transmitted real-time data on descent, and presented their results to a panel of expert judges.
Culann Dowling, Captain of Team ‘The ARC’, said:
“The best thing about taking part in CanSat is the amount we’ve learned and our teamwork, which has strengthened our friendships. It’s been such a great experience overall and the team and I want to thank our teachers Mr. Hayes and Ms. Brosnahan for their support and guidance throughout the competition.”
Padraig McDermott, a member of the Irish team that won the European CanSat competition in 2018, attended the final as a guest speaker. He is currently completing a PhD in physics at UCD as part of EIRSAT-1. Padraig said:
“Being here takes me back to the excitement of 2018 and to the impact that being part of CanSat has had on my professional life. After graduation, I successfully applied for an EIRSAT internship at UCD, and I know that taking part in CanSat played a big role in my being accepted. The whole experience of taking part; the teamwork, the research, the practical build and the presenting, is instrumental in preparing the scientists of the future for a career in space.”
Speaking at the final, Áine Flood, Manager at ESERO Ireland (which hosts CanSat Ireland), said:
“It has been an incredible year for the CanSat programme, and the energy and enthusiasm from students has been matched every step of the way by the teachers and Technological University experts who supported them.”
“Congratulations to the 2026 winners, Team ‘The ARC’, and to every finalist we heard from over these two days. The standard of innovation, problem-solving and teamwork on display has been outstanding and, like Padraig and the 2018 Irish team, I’ve no doubt we’ll be hearing about the achievements of these young scientists and engineers for years to come.”
Brendan Owens, Education and Public Engagement Programme Manager at Research Ireland, and co-funder of ESERO Ireland, said:
“CanSat is one of the most exciting education initiatives of the year, showcasing the next generation of scientists and engineers and the depth of STEM talent at second level across the country. Competitions like this depend on the dedication and passion of the teachers who support and encourage their students to take part as well as the lecturers and experts at our Technological Universities who guide teams throughout the process. We are very grateful for their commitment.”
“This year’s competition saw strong national participation, with 34 teams from 18 schools registering and 20 teams progressing to regional finals. From those, six teams reached the national final and today we congratulate Team ‘The ARC’ on winning the 2026 CanSat Ireland title.
“Research Ireland is proud to support ESERO Ireland and initiatives like CanSat that build practical skills, confidence and ambition in STEM, and we look forward to following the winners as they represent Ireland at the European Space Agency event later this year.”
Building future space careers
CanSat is widely recognised as one of the most advanced STEM competitions for secondary school students, offering hands-on experience in electronics and programming, data analysis, engineering design and scientific communication.
By working like a real mission team planning, building, testing and presenting to experts, students gain a genuine insight into pathways into engineering and the space sector.
Niamh Shaw, national coordinator for CanSat Ireland, said:
“The level of innovation, teamwork and technical ability shown by students this year has been exceptional.”
“CanSat gives young people the chance to gain practical experience of what a career in space and engineering looks like; from building hardware and writing code to analysing data and communicating results.”
“Every team that reached the national final should be hugely proud. Congratulations again to Team ‘The ARC’. We can’t wait to see them take Ireland’s CanSat story to Europe later this year.”
“Huge thanks also to our expert panel, Neil Murray from ESA, who is working on the Argonaut lunar lander, Aine Flood, Manager at ESERO Ireland and Eoin Lambe from Midas, which provides an additional prize to the overall winners.”
Schools interested in taking part in the 2026/2027 CanSat programme can find more information at:
https://esero.ie/projects/cansat/
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