Italian team Skyward is the winner
of the 3rd edition of EuRoC

The Italian team Skyward Experimental Rocketry is the big winner of the third edition of the European Rocketry Challenge – EuRoC. The closing ceremony and award ceremony of the third edition of EuRoC took place today in Ponte de Sor. The rocket launch competition was created by the Portuguese Space Agency and is aimed at European university students.

The Italian team was the big winner of the third edition of EuRoC, winning three awards: EuRoC Award, Award for the best technical report and the ANACOM Award for the best spectral signature. The Austrian team ASTG – Aeroespace Team Graz won the New Space Award and the Team Award. The British team Endeavour won the Playload Award, sponsored by the European Space Agency. Regarding the awards for the different categories of engines in competition, the following teams were crowned champions: Solid Engine 3 000 meters – RED | Rocket Experimental Division (Portugal); Liquid Engine 3 000 meters – TU Wien Space Team (Austria); and, finally, Solid Engine 9 000 meters – EPFL Rocket Team (Switzerland).

During the closing ceremony, Eduardo Ferreira, Vice President of the Portuguese Space Agency, highlighted “the clear importance of this initiative to promote aerospace technologies in Europe.” “It is important to give space to your ambitions as future professionals in the sector, as well as to our mission as a Space Agency. I am sure that together, in the future, we will make history in the European and also global context. Since 2020, it is remarkable how the competitions has evolved and this is only possible thanks to all the people involved in the organization of EuRoC, but, of course, thanks to your commitment and dedication. Congratulations to all of you. As of tomorrow we will be preparing the next edition to be even better and we hope to see you again in 2023”, he said.

Marta Gonçalves, Education Officer of the Portuguese Space Agency and EuRoC Project Manager, stressed that “in recent months, all teams have faced several challenges to be here today and successfully achieve the major goal of this competition: launching rockets in the Portuguese skies”. “Since the last edition, the competition has grown and matured, both in terms of organization and in the number of teams that signed up and have shown themselves to be increasingly professional, more prepared, more ambitious, and more determined than ever. Next year, we expect even more and better. From our side, we will work hard to make sure that everything is in place to welcome you to the 4th edition of EuRoC in 2023”.

Besides the closing ceremony and the award ceremony, which took place in the afternoon, the morning was marked by the sharing of experiences of the teams regarding the process of design, construction and launch of their rockets. There was also a talk promoted by ESA – European Space Agency about space exploration and career opportunities in the aerospace sector.