CanSat Ghana

In 2023, the Ghana CanSat Rocketry Championship (rebranded as CanSat Ghana) received a grant from the International Astronomical Union’s Office for Astronomy Development (OAD) to design and build experimental satellites under the project “Developing Space Science in Ghana through Experimental Satellites” (DBSAES7). This initiative targets elementary school students aged 14 to 19 years in Ghana, aiming to simulate the building blocks of an actual satellite with limited complexity and resources. The project focused on Physics, Mathematics, Electronics, Space Engineering, Astronomy, and Instrumentation utilising the experimental satellite (CanSat) design on space mission concepts to provide students with hands-on experience through an interdisciplinary approach. Since this is a comprehensive instrumentation project, students gained knowledge from mission definition and conceptual design to integration, testing, launching, and actual system operation. Furthermore, these experimental satellite modules can be applied to real-life scenarios such as remote mapping of agricultural lands, weather monitoring and more.

The Nyarkoa CanSat project illustrates the potential of small-scale satellite technology to democratise space science education and provide practical solutions for various real-world challenges. By demonstrating the feasibility, educational benefits and economic viability of this project, we contribute to the ongoing efforts to make space technology accessible and beneficial to a broader audience, especially developing countries.