Spacekathon Space for the Future
24 hours, 5 teams and one secret mission! Build your own glider, get through the remote qualifying round and compete for a place in the final.
Prize pool
PLN 11,000
Prizes for places 1–3 in the Spacekathon, plus a 3D printer for the school of every finalist team. Results and award ceremony: Wednesday, 25 November.
When and where
- When
- start of the 24-hour final, which runs until Sunday 22 November, 11:00
- Where
- Rzeszów University of Technology, Building V Getting here and map
Registration and documents
Space challenges for young people
Spacekathon
24 hours. 5 teams. One secret mission!
Design, build and test your own glider, then compete for a place in a 24-hour space hackathon at Rzeszów University of Technology!
- Total prize pool
- PLN 11,000 and five 3D printers
Total prize pool PLN 11,000 and five 3D printers
Do you like building, experimenting and solving technical problems? Are you interested in aviation, physics, programming or space technology?
Gather a team, join forces with your friends and enter Spacekathon “Space for the Future”!
First you will take on the Mission: Glide challenge, and the five best teams will be invited to a 24-hour final with a completely new engineering mission that has not been revealed before.
Spacekathon details
Who can take part? Teams of 3–8 students and a teacher-supervisor, free of charge
The competition is open to secondary school students.
- Team: 3 to 8 students.
- Supervisor: one teacher who looks after the team.
- Inter-school teams: you can join forces with students from other schools. The supervisor must be a teacher employed at one of the schools represented.
- Participation: completely free of charge.
You don’t have to be aerodynamics experts! What counts is curiosity, creativity, teamwork and the will to test your own ideas.
What is the challenge? Remote Mission: Glide qualifier, then a 24-hour final
Stage 1 – Mission: Glide
Design the future of space flight!
Your first mission is to create your own model glider inspired by aviation or the space technology of the future.
The glider must be able to make an unpowered gliding flight on its own.
What do you need to do?
- Design: develop the concept and a technical drawing of the glider.
- Build: choose the materials, make the structure and balance it properly.
- Test: carry out a series of flights, observing how the model behaves.
- Improve: make at least one design modification and check how it affects the flight.
- Measure the performance: determine the distance and time of three flights of the final version of the glider.
- Document the results: prepare technical documentation and a short video of the tests.
The qualifying round is held remotely! You don’t have to bring your glider to Rzeszów University of Technology. The Competition Committee will assess the documentation and the flight test recordings you send.
Stage 2 – the 24-hour final
21 November 2026, 11:00 – mission start
The five best teams will meet at Rzeszów University of Technology to take on a new engineering challenge.
You will only learn the details of the task, the technical requirements and the scoring rules at the opening of the final.
24 hours to complete the mission
You will design, build, prototype and test your own solutions, using the infrastructure we provide and the support of students.
After the 24-hour final, the Organiser will also carry out verification activities related to the final, scheduled for 23–24 November.
What exactly awaits the finalists? That will remain a secret until the mission begins!
How do you get to the final? Five steps: from forming a team to sending your project
- Build your team! Form a team of 3 to 8 students and find a teacher to supervise it.
- Register your team! Fill in the registration form on the Meet the Space website by 6 November 2026, 23:59.
- Take on Mission: Glide! Design, build and test your own glider.
- Prepare your materials! Prepare technical documentation (up to 5 A4 pages) and a video of your tests (up to 5 minutes).
- Send your project! The materials must be submitted by 13 November 2026, 23:59. Detailed instructions for sending them will be sent only to correctly registered teams.
How do we assess the gliders? Up to 100 points, 5 teams in the final
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Technical design and aerodynamic knowledge – a well-thought-out design, correct solutions, justified decisions | 35 |
| Build quality – care, choice of materials, balance and quality of the structure | 20 |
| Testing and improvement – tests carried out, modifications and conclusions drawn | 15 |
| Flight stability, effectiveness and repeatability – how the glider behaves and the results of successive attempts | 30 |
| Total | 100 |
The five highest-scoring teams go through to the grand final.
Remember: we are not just looking for the glider that flies the farthest. Knowledge, creativity, build quality, flight stability and the ability to improve your project also count!
Key rules Glider, test flights, modification, video, measurements, documentation
Glider technical requirements
- Wingspan: 30 to 100 cm.
- Overall length: up to 100 cm.
- Weight: no limit.
- Propulsion: not allowed – the glider must fly without an engine.
- Control: no remote control during the flight.
- Construction: the team’s own design.
You can use wood, balsa, foam, cardboard, plastics, 3D-printed parts and other modelling materials.
We allow different aerodynamic layouts – classic gliders, flying wings and other creative solutions.
You may not enter a ready-made, purchased model without your own design contribution.
How to carry out the flight tests
- The glider must be launched by hand by a person standing on the ground.
- You may not use raised platforms, catapults, launchers or any other launch-assisting devices.
- After release, the model must continue its flight on its own, without propulsion or external control.
- Tests should be carried out in a safe place, ideally in a sports hall or outdoors with little wind.
- We recommend carrying out the tests in similar conditions and launching the model the same way each time.
Mandatory modification
After the first tests you must make at least one design change, e.g. change the balance, the stabiliser setting, the wing geometry or the layout of components.
In the documentation, explain: What did you change? Why? What was the result?
Even if the change doesn’t bring an improvement, it is worth showing what you learned during the tests.
Test video – up to 5 minutes
The video must include:
- a presentation of the finished glider;
- a short explanation of the design and the modification made;
- at least three flights of the final version of the glider, made after the modification.
Each of the three flights must be recorded continuously, without any cuts, from the release of the glider to its first contact with the ground.
You may edit the video between the individual attempts.
Measurements – flight distance and time
For each of the three final attempts you must give:
- the flight distance in metres – from the release point to the point where the glider first touches the ground, measured horizontally;
- the flight time in seconds – from the release of the model to its first contact with the ground.
The results must be listed in the documentation or shown clearly in the video.
Documentation – up to 5 A4 pages
The documentation should include:
- the concept and a technical drawing with the basic dimensions;
- a description of the materials, the structure and how the model is balanced;
- the actual wingspan, length and weight of the model;
- a description of the tests and the modification made;
- a table of the final test results and your conclusions.
Important: drawings, photos and tables also count towards the five-page limit.
Detailed conditions are set out in the Competition Rules and the Mission: Glide Technical Requirements Sheet.
Prizes PLN 11,000 for the three best teams and their supervisors
Attractive cash prizes await the best teams!
Prize pool: PLN 11,000
- 1st place PLN 5,000 for the team + PLN 1,000 for the supervisor
- 2nd place PLN 2,000 for the team + PLN 1,000 for the supervisor
- 3rd place PLN 1,000 for the team + PLN 1,000 for the supervisor
All amounts are gross. The team prize is shared equally among the students, and the teacher-supervisor receives a separate prize.
Five 3D printers for the finalists’ schools An extra prize for the school of each of the five finalists
Each of the five teams that qualify for the final wins a 3D printer for its school.
Even without a place on the podium, you can win a valuable prize for your school!
What we provide Meals, workstations, mentors and rest during the final
During the 24-hour Spacekathon final at Rzeszów University of Technology we provide:
- Meals throughout the event – food, drinks and refreshments.
- Workstations and access to the infrastructure and equipment intended for the final mission.
- Support from mentors, who will help you work with the tools and technologies provided.
- Time for breaks and rest during the 24-hour challenge.
- An unforgettable engineering experience – 24 hours full of ideas, prototyping, teamwork and cosmic excitement!
Throughout the final, underage participants remain in the care of authorised adults in accordance with the rules set by the Organiser.
Key dates From 6 to 25 November
- – team registration closes (online form).
- – deadline for submitting the Mission: Glide project, documentation and video.
- – announcement of the five teams qualified for the final.
- – the 24-hour final begins at Rzeszów University of Technology.
- – the time for the final mission ends.
- – verification activities carried out by the Organiser.
- – competition closing ceremony, announcement of the final results and award ceremony.
Build a team. Spread your wings. Take on a space challenge!
Get your friends and a teacher on board, form your own team of engineers and show that the future of space technology can start right at your school!
Don’t wait – register your team by 6 November 2026, 23:59!
Organisers and funding
Organiser 
Content partner 
Content partner 
Project funding 
Programme 
Project financed from the state budget, granted by the Minister of Science and Higher Education under the Social Responsibility of Science III programme.
Project “Meet The Space 2026”, agreement no. SPN/SP/0372/2026/01, funding: PLN 159,028.00, total project value: PLN 199,028.00.