For the past few months, a nine-person team of students has been developing a CanSat launcher. The project is being carried out mainly at the Institute of Heat Engineering, part of the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology, as well as in the homes of the team members. The European Space Education Resource Office initiated the project and requested the students' support.

 “We were asked by ESERO-Poland, the European Space Education Resource Office, to develop a gondola capable of carrying CanSats, which can be released later to carry out their missions. A CanSat is a small satellite shaped like a can that can perform various experiments or research both during the gondola's flight and while descending to the ground. If the project proves successful, ESERO-Poland will consider using this satellite deployment method in future editions of the CanSat Poland competition,” says Rafał Mystkowski, Project Coordinator at the WUT Student Space Association.

The CanSat Launcher is a gondola resembling a small stratospheric balloon, designed to carry up to eight CanSats and elevate them to an altitude of up to 30 km. Unlike a rocket that deploys all CanSats simultaneously, this launcher releases each satellite independently, allowing for deployment at various altitudes during the flight. Additionally, the platform's reusability is a key advantage: just recharge the power cells, refill the balloon with helium, and the gondola is ready for another launch.

 “The gondola features a main structure that holds the CanSats and is equipped with a flight management system. This system includes an Arduino, which controls the servomechanisms responsible for opening the flaps to release the CanSats, and a radiosonde that transmits GPS signals to facilitate the gondola's recovery. The entire structure is insulated to safeguard the launcher from severe atmospheric conditions at high altitudes, such as low temperatures,” explains Rafał Mystkowski.

The entire structure was manufactured using 3D printing technology, which provided significant flexibility in component design, resulting in a lightweight and cost-effective build. The insulation is made from extruded polystyrene (styrodur),

The team's efforts will result in a balloon launch in the first half of September, carrying CanSats from teams that did not advance to the final stage of the CanSat Poland competition. There is also potential for this solution to be used in future competitions. Each CanSat will be released individually and will have its own specific mission, defined by its creators—the teams mentioned earlier. As Rafał Mystkowski notes, the structure and electronics are already finished. The remaining task is to integrate the project as a whole and conduct tests for launching the CanSats.