The ESA Academy's Training and Learning Programme

Abstract

The Fly a Rocket! programme is a hands-on programme which gives students the chance to learn more about space science and technology, and to launch their very own student rocket from the Andøya Space Center in Northern Norway. The programme was initiated as an ESA Academy program in collaboration with the Norwegian Center for Space Related Education (NAROM) and the Norwegian Space Agency (NSA) as a pilot in 2017 [1]. The aim was to give students in the early years of higher education the possibility to work on a real rocket project and learn about space physics and space engineering and thereby to inspire and motivate the students to consider careers and further study in space and space related disciplines. The pilot cycle was a huge success hence a second cycle was initiated in the fall of 2018, and the rocket launch campaign was in the spring of 2019. This paper will present the ESA and NAROM student rocket program Fly a Rocket! and its objectives together with the experiences and lessons learned from the two cycles of program.