By Hayden Lo - Outreach Lead and Proud Member of CanSat Noctua

Over the last twelve months, unparalleled time and resources have been dedicated to this project, and looking back, the result feels surreal. It’s the culmination of countless nights debugging code, collaboratively identifying electronics issues, scanning through page upon page of report, of Wednesday lunchtime meetings in Room 23, discussing the progress, or lack thereof, that we had made. All these have led to that one key moment- our satellite soaring high above Elvington Airfield in York, successfully completing its mission.

From the start, our goal was clear: design a compact satellite within the size of a soft drinks can, capable of collecting and transmitting data during its descent. This data would then be used to indicate the presence of life by detecting biosignatures in the atmosphere. We poured our hearts into every detail—sensor calibration, parachute deployment, telemetry testing- but we knew there were challenges in our path. Countless teams had applied, and we celebrated making it to the top 10 as an incredible achievement. When we arrived at the University of York for the finals, we quickly realised the scale of the challenge ahead. The competition was fierce. We were the youngest team there, as Year 10 students surrounded by confident Sixth Formers, many of whom were studying A-level Physics and Engineering. They stood tall over their CanSats, watching us with curiosity, maybe even doubt.

But when our satellite spiralled to 300m high, descending comfortably, transmitting all the data we had hoped for, we knew we had hit the jackpot.

The following presentation day was our opportunity to explain our results to the judges. After two long nights of fine-tuning the CanSat and rehearsing every possible question that might come our way, we strode into the lecture hall- nervous, perhaps in need of an extra hour of sleep, but ready. Each of us had a part to play, each of us well-versed in our part of the project. As we stood before the judges, our hands only slightly shaking, we delivered our work with knowledge and with pride: from mission goals to data analysis, and the countless engineering decisions in between.

By the end, we didn’t know if we had done enough. But after nail-biting minutes, when our team’s name was announced as the winners, the room seemed to freeze. Then came the cheers, the disbelief, the pride. All the effort, every test drop, every Instagram post, every meticulously soldered wire, had ultimately accounted to victory.

Next month, CanSat Noctua will launch for the final time to the Netherlands, representing the United Kingdom in the European Space Agency International Space Engineer Event, where all the national winners of 26 participating countries will come together and celebrate their achievements. Although it is not a competition, we aim to represent CanSat Noctua with pride. Represent the United Kingdom with pride. Represent Sutton Grammar School with pride.

It has been truly transformative to be a part of CanSat Noctua every step of the journey, as we have learnt valuable lessons and been inspired to seek further opportunity in STEM and space. And although it still doesn’t feel quite real, our team’s story is closing, and a new team will be stepping into the spotlight. They inherit somewhat of a high bar, but we have every faith in them, whoever they may be, to take flight. What once seemed like an impossible task ultimately led to triumph, proving that all we ever truly needed was to simply ‘Keep Faith’.