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Team ‘Coders in Paris’ from Educate Together represents Limerick in the national finals this April.
Team ‘Coders in Paris’ from Educate Together represents Limerick in the national finals this April.
Students from Limerick are set to represent their region at the national finals of the ESERO Ireland CanSat competition, a European Space Agency initiative that challenges secondary school students to design, build and launch their own mini-satellite.
Team ‘Coders in Paris’ from Educate Together secured their place at the national final following a strong performance at the Limerick regional competition, hosted at TUS Limerick.
The ‘Coders in Paris’ team will now join finalists from across Ireland at the national final, taking place in Co. Laois on 30 April and 1 May 2026. At the event, students will launch their CanSat devices via rocket, collect real-time data during descent, and present their findings to a panel of expert judges. The winning Irish team will go on to represent Ireland at a European event hosted by the European Space Agency.
Team ‘Coders in Paris’ from Educate Together
Speaking ahead of the final, Áine Flood, Manager at ESERO Ireland (which hosts CanSat Ireland), said:
“Participating teams are set a really challenging technical brief – to fit a satellite’s key parts, like power, sensors and communication systems, into a beverage can. At the national final, each CanSat must measure air pressure and air temperature during descent and transmit the data to a computer for analysis and presentation.
“Teams must quickly analyse the data, interpret it in a meaningful way and present their findings to our judging panel.
“To reach the national final is an incredible achievement for these science professionals of the future. I want to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work put in by each team, their teachers and the supporting Technical Universities behind them.”
Brendan Owens, Education and Public Engagement Programme Manager at Research Ireland, co-founder of ESERO Ireland, said:
“CanSat is one of the most exciting education initiatives of the year, showcasing the next generation of scientists and engineers and the abundance of STEM talent at second level throughout the country. These competitions can’t take place without the dedication and passion of the teachers who support and encourage their students to enter, often giving up their own time, as well as the lecturers at our Technical Universities who guide them throughout the process. We are very grateful for their commitment.”
“This year’s competition saw strong national participation, with 34 teams from 18 schools registered and 20 teams progressing to compete in regional finals. From these, just six finalist teams have been selected to advance to the national stage.
“It’s particularly encouraging to see an increase every year in the number of girls participating in the competition.
“Research Ireland is proud to support ESERO Ireland and initiatives like CanSat that help students build practical skills, confidence and ambition in STEM.”
CanSat is widely recognised as one of the most advanced STEM competitions for secondary school students, offering hands-on experience in Electronics and programming, Data analysis, Engineering design and Scientific communication.
Participants gain real insight into careers in the space sector, with many past students progressing into engineering and space-related roles.
Niamh Shaw, national coordinator for CanSat Ireland, said:
“The level of innovation, teamwork and technical ability shown by students this year has been exceptional.
“Competitions like CanSat give young people a real opportunity to experience what a career in space and engineering looks like — not just in theory, but in practice.
“We’re incredibly proud to see a team from Limerick representing their region on a national stage.”
Schools interested in participating in the 2026/2027 CanSat programme can find more information at: https://esero.ie/projects/cansat/.