Posted April 2022.
(L-R: Josh Watson, Franco Viljoen, Sam May, Mc Keith Calica, Will Menzies, Oliver Powell.)
Team Boreas are gearing up for launch, after reaching the UK finals of the CanSat competition run by the European Space Agency (ESA).
The student team, here at WMG Academy Coventry, have designed and engineered a can sized
satellite to be deployed in the Arctic Circle to monitor climate change.
The ESA’s CanSat competition, has seen Team Boreas compete against 100 other teams to be one of 10 competing in the UK finals from 3rd to 5th May at the STEM Centre and Elvington Airfield in York, which will see their satellite launched by rocket, with the winners progressing to the European finals later in the year.
Speaking for the team, Joshua Watson,17, said, “I am very happy that we made it to the finals and
it wouldn’t have been possible without everyone’s team work.”
“We all hope that we do well in the UK finals and make it onto the European finals.”
Team Boreas have constructed a suborbital satellite, which contains a two-stage parachute activated by an altimeter; as well as a solar powered environmental sensor’s all contained within a satellite the size of a coke can. After a test launch in March the team are fine tuning the satellite ahead of the finals in May.
Team Boreas are made up of students aged 14+ from here at WMG Academy Coventry, where they study a combination of science, engineering and maths allowing them to apply theoretical and practical skills to build their satellite in the academy’s bespoke engineering hall.
The team have been publishing videos of their build online to chart their process, with their TikTok
videos rapidly racking up views.
Mr Fiesal Mahroof, Principal of WMG Academy Coventry, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the hard
work the students have put into the CanSat project over the last six months. Their efforts are a
testament to their dedication and we all wish them every success at the finals in York.”
To find out more about Team Boreas find them at:
TikTok: @teamboreas.cansat2022
Facebook: @teamboreas2022
Instagram: @team_boreas
Twitter: @Team_Boreas