Italian team Skyward wins the 5th edition of EuRoC
17 rockets were launched from the Santa Margarida Military Camp in Constância. Skyward revalidated their 2022 title, also winning the prize for best flight in the hybrid engine category with an apogee of 3,000 metres.
The European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC) ended on the 15th of October. This unique initiative is promoted by the Portuguese Space Agency since 2020 and took place at the Ponte de Sor aerodrome and the Santa Margarida Military Camp in Constância between October 9th and 15th.
Nearly 600 university students from 13 different nationalities competed in this 5th edition of EuRoC, with rockets they had designed, developed, and built themselves. Even though 25 teams were selected for the competition, the final number of competitors was set at 19. Out of these, only two failed to meet the conditions for launch. Thus, this year’s EuRoC saw the launch of 17 rockets, a figure that points to the best-ever edition of the initiative.
“This was the highest number of launches we’ve had in a single edition of the competition. Out of 19 possible launches, 17 took place, which indicates a high success rate,” points out Ricardo Conde, President of the Portuguese Space Agency. In an edition in which the weather conditions posed additional difficulties for the teams, with rain, wind, and low clouds preventing the rockets from flying on two of the four launch days, the numbers achieved reflect “a challenge overcome.” “The entire organisation was mobilised so that as many rockets as possible could be launched safely,” says Ricardo Conde, revealing a new record: “This Monday eight rockets came off the ramps. It’s the highest number of launches in a single day at EuRoC.”
The big winner of this year’s edition was the Italian team Skyward, who revalidated the title they won in 2022. The Italians also won the flight prize for the hybrid engine category with an apogee of 3,000 metres.
Portugal was represented at the 5th edition of EuRoC by two teams. Team RED (Rocket Experiment Division), from Instituto Superior Técnico (Higher Technical Institute), which has been competing since 2021, launched its rocket on October 14th and won first prize in its category for the second year running: launch at 3,000 metres with a solid motor (S3).
Meanwhile, the Porto Space Team, from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, still qualified to launch in Santa Margarida, but last-minute difficulties prevented the students from achieving this goal.
