Austrian team Aerospace Team Graz Wins 6th edition of the European Rocketry Challenge
The Austrian Aerospace Team Graz (ASTG) was the overall winner of the 6th edition of the European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC), revalidating the title achieved in 2023. The team also won the Flight Award in the hybrid category, reaching an apogee of 9,000 metres.
The 6th edition of the European Rocketry Challenge – EuRoC, which once again brought together some of Europe’s most talented university students for a unique event that challenges them to design, build and launch their own rockets, concluded this Wednesday.
Organised by the Portuguese Space Agency since 2020, the competition took place in Constância, central Portugal, from October 9 to 15. The 6th edition was characterised by notable technological advancements among teams and propulsion systems, with a growing number of hybrid and liquid engines, clearly demonstrating technical maturity and ambition.
“In 2024, we had more teams but fewer launches. Teams are becoming increasingly ambitious: this year, we had nine liquid, seven hybrid, and nine solid rockets. This means more innovation, greater complexity and, inevitably, more failures, but that’s part of the learning process,” said Marta Gonçalves, Education and Science Programme Manager and EuRoC Project Manager at the Portuguese Space Agency.
The overall winner of EuRoC 2025 was the Aerospace Team Graz (ASTG) from Austria, which retained its 2023 title and also won the prize for best flight in the hybrid engine category, with an apogee of 9,000 metres. The Italian team Skyward, winner of the 2022 and 2024 editions, took home the Design Award this year.
“EuRoC is a remarkable example of how space can unite science, defence, and territory. By hosting some of Europe’s top university rocketry teams, Portugal is strengthening its reputation as a centre for testing, learning, and innovation,” said Ricardo Conde, President of the Portuguese Space Agency.
“The competition has become a key reference in Europe’s technological landscape. We are shaping the talent that the sector needs. Portugal aims to become a nation of space access, with launchers, a spaceport and a re-entry site in the Azores, offering a tangible contribution to Europe’s ambitions. This path is also being built here,” he added.
Almost 700 university students participated in this year’s event, with rockets entirely designed, developed, and built by the teams themselves. Of the 28 teams chosen, four were ultimately unable to travel to Portugal.
Portugal was represented by four university teams, equalling Germany’s participation and highlighting the increasing vitality of the national space community. The NorthSpace team, composed of students from several Portuguese universities, was the only Portuguese team to launch its rocket successfully during this edition. The Fénix Rocket Team, comprising members from the University of Beira Interior and the University of Coimbra, successfully passed the technical review but did not complete rocket preparation within the designated launch window. The Porto Space Team (University of Porto) and RED – Rocketry Experiment Division (Instituto Superior Técnico) did not pass the technical review phase and were therefore not cleared for launch.
This year’s edition also featured several first-time participants, including ASPiRE (Greece), winner of the Payload Award sponsored by Tekever, and UM Rocketry (Malta), marking the country’s debut at EuRoC. The VP Systems team (Ukraine) was also present as a special guest, performing an off-competition flight.
The Portuguese Army supported the 2025 edition of the European Rocketry Challenge through the Mechanised Brigade at Santa Margarida Military Camp, which hosted the rocket launches, and by the Municipality of Constância, which once again provided accommodation for the teams in its sports hall.
The event was also supported by ESA – European Space Agency, Cambridge Aerospace, Tekever, Omnidea, Atlantic Spaceport Consortium, Meteomatics, Sumol+Compal, and Delta.
Category Winners
EuRoC Award: Aerospace Team Graz (Austria)
Flight Award – Hybrid 9K: Aerospace Team Graz (Austria)
Design Award: Skyward (Italy)
Technical Report & Team Award: BME Suborbitals (Hungary)
Payload Award: ASPiRE (Greece)
Flight Award – Liquid 3K: HyEnD (Germany)
Flight Award – Solid 3K: Faraday Rocketry (Spain)
