Soda-sized Satellites: Read School CCF’s Mission to Launch

Read School CCF (Royal Air Force (RAF)) section continues to push the boundaries of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) by putting their engineering skills to the test and competing in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) CanSat Competition. To take part, the team had to create and launch a miniature satellite which is built within the volume and shape of a soft drink can. The aim of the competition was for cadets to fit all the major systems (such as power, sensors, and a communications system) into the can sized vessel. Once built, teams then attended launch events across the UK where they launched their satellites on small rockets before they returned to Earth using a parachute (also designed by the cadets).

Mission: Accepted

The international competition consisted of two missions: a primary mission in which the satellite measures air pressure and air temperature in real time during the CanSat’s descent, with the data being transmitted to the cadet’s ground station. This gave the cadets a detailed understanding of the CanSat’s environmental conditions throughout its descent. The team then logged and analysed the data post-flight to derive atmospheric profiles, relationships and performance equations, which they then visualised through comparative graphs. The secondary mission was a task of the team’s choosing and the cadets chose to measure the acceleration of the CanSat during its descent, using the data to calculate the acceleration due to gravity on Earth.

From Launch to Landing: A Collaborative Approach

Read School CCF started working together on the competition in October 2025, with the team comprising of six cadets, which each team member having a specific role to play:

• Corporal Emma Madden: Parachute Design

• Corporal Abigail Cheetham: Team Leader

• Corporal Oliver Walker: Electronics and System Engineering Lead

• Corporal Max Bondarchuk: Software and Telemetry Lead

• Flight Sergeant and Lord Lieutenant Cadet Samantha Lowes: Logistics and Finance Lead

• Corporal Darcey Kidd: Documentation Lead

The team planned, designed and prepped during their CCF sessions and worked with their contingent adult volunteers to achieve the finished product.

The competition is a long process, with the team having to pass two checkpoints which require progress reports in order to pass through to the first regional launch. The cadets put their STEM skills to excellent use by designing and printing the container using a 3D printer. They also soldered and wired the circuits for the electrical systems, using cables to bring everything together on a miniscule scale. The team then tested the materials and landing system, using their mathematic skills to decipher the correct measurements of the parachute and it’s landing capabilities.

And it is not only STEM skills that the cadets have been utilising as they have had to learn how to conduct risk assessments as well as work out how to advertise their CanSat mission through their own dedicated Instagram account.

The Ultimate Test

In early March 2026, the team secured a place at the regional CanSat event at Elvington Airfield, York. And whilst the team didn’t make it to through to the National Launch event, Corporal Emma Madden commented “this was an incredible opportunity to apply real engineering, coding and data analysis skills in a real aerospace environment. We will be restarting the process in October 2026 as we intend to compete again in the 2027 competition. We have loved every step of CanSat – it’s been so rewarding to see it all come together after so much time, effort and hard work. We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of the CCF adult volunteers who helped us achieve everything that we have done and for all of the advice and support that we received as a team.”

Congratulations to Read School CCF CanSat team for all of your hard work and determination on entering such a tough competition. We can’t wait to follow your CanSat journey in next year’s competition!