EuRoC’24
2024
Edition
9 – 15
OCTOBER
THE COMPETITION
The European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC) is the first rocket launch competition for European
university teams. The Portuguese Space Agency created the competition in 2020 and has since
gathered teams from various European countries in the Alentejo region. Based on constant and
sustained growth, the 2024 edition of the competition has the support of the Portuguese Army
and the Municipality of Ponte de Sor.
LOCATIONS
Ponte de Sor
This year, the Paddock, where the teams arrive to assemble their rockets, is located
at the Ponte de Sor Aerodrome. Here, the students are subject to the evaluation of
the Technical Evaluation Board, which also advises on enhancing the rockets’
performance. In this usually fast-paced environment, the teams also get to know each
other. Finally, the paddock also hosts workshops promoted by EuRoC sponsors and
the Closing Ceremony, in which all the prizes are awarded.
SANTA MARGARIDA MILITARY CAMP
The Santa Margarida Military Camp hosts the most thrilling moments of EuRoC. Home
to the rockets’ Launch Site since EuRoC’s second edition (2021), the Military Camp is
located approximately 40 km from the Paddock. At this site, teams have everything
they need to ensure all goes right when rockets go up.
KEY VALUES AND EVENT GOALS
By promoting the European Rocketry Challenge, the Portuguese Space Agency wants to stimulate young people’s interest in STEM (Sciences, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics). Education has been a strategic pillar of the Portuguese Space Agency’s action plan since its foundation in 2019. EuRoC is the Portuguese Space Agency commitment to gather the interest of universities and their students in the competition and STEM. The tournament is also getting more applications by the year (almost 50 in 2023), which shows that EuRoC has become the place for European rocketeers.
Contribute to developing technical skills and promoting a scientific and innovational culture among young university students, broadening the base of future professionals and strengthening the means that will ensure the sustainability of the aerospace sector in Portugal.
To attract and involve national and international partners in supporting the expansion of the aerospace industry, with a particular focus on the emerging new formats of the New Space.
To stimulate synergies between academia and the aerospace industry that promote innovation and competitiveness in the sector, contributing to the creation of highly skilled jobs.
To demonstrate that Portugal can hold a unique European-level event in aerospace engineering, particularly in the experimental launcher component.
Motivate and encourage young people to pursue careers based on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), strengthening competencies in Space through research, education, and scientific culture.
Recognizes the best technical report, displaying the ability to document clearly, correctly, and without unnecessary complexity a sophisticated technical system, aided by high quality figures, exhibiting exceptional quality in all formal aspects, making it an enjoyable and enriching read.
Honours the overall best vehicle design, which displays a high competency in all its characteristics, is based on stringent strategic decisions, provided an exceptional challenge to realise, and might even go beyond pure rocketry to put special attention towards its innovation.
Credits the team that has displayed an outstanding effort as working as a unit towards a common goal, by being exceptionally organized, reliable, and prepared in all aspects of the competition, be it deliverables, communication, or operation, and goes above and beyond to display a great sense of team spirit and sportsmanship, either between team members, other teams, and organisation officials.
Measures the degree of merit in meters away from the target apogee, but also by the state of the rocket after recovery, and thus honours designs that not only survive the harsh contact with reality, but furthermore represent an incredible achievement in concept, simulation, system integration, control, and practical realisation.
Awarded to the team that has displayed excellence across the board in all aspects of the competition, honouring an overall exceptional and well-balanced effort without cutting back on any of one of the competition aspects, be it technical documentation, vehicle design, team effort, or flight performance, thus identifying a genuinely remarkable effort and achievement.
The Payload Award seeks to recognize the team with the overall best payload of EuRoC. This award praises innovation and reliability, while also focusing on the applicability and impact of the payload on the society, such as if it were to be launched into Space. It will be awarded to the most promising payload being only expected high expertise and singular design and implementation results.
PROMOTER
PARTNER – EUROC’24
