Zaragoza City Council, the University of Zaragoza and Fundación Ibercivis have opened the call for the first edition of Satelicos. Exploradores de la estratosfera. Teams of young people aged 14 to 19 will design capsules carrying scientific experiments that may fly on a weather balloon to an altitude of around 30,000 metres.
Applications can be submitted from 5 to 18 November 2026, both dates included. The rules (in Spanish) and the application forms are available on Zaragoza City Council’s e-office.
In Satelicos, each team goes through every stage of a real stratospheric mission: it chooses what to study, designs and builds the capsule, tests the system, prepares the launch, analyses the data and communicates the results. The project is supported by Servet, the weather balloon project run by Ibercivis and the Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A) at the University of Zaragoza. Its team trains the adults who accompany the teams and handles the technical side of the flight: the permits, the balloon, tracking and recovery.
Who can take part
- Teams of 3 to 7 young people aged 14 to 19, not at university, who are registered as residents of Zaragoza or study at a school in the city (including its rural districts).
- Each team needs a responsible adult, a teacher or mentor, who accompanies the group, attends the training and is the contact person for the organisers.
- Teams may come from Zaragoza Joven, schools, schools offering the Research and Excellence Baccalaureate, associations, maker spaces, after-school groups and other youth organisations. A school can enter several teams; each young person can only be in one.
- No previous knowledge is needed.
How to apply
Applications are sent by email to programacionjoven@zaragoza.es by 18 November, with these documents (in Spanish):
- Annex II: team registration form.
- Annex III: consent form for the coordinator or mentor.
- Annex IV: parental consent form, for under-18s only.
- Annex V: data protection consent form.
- For anyone not registered as a resident of Zaragoza, proof of enrolment for the 2026/27 school year at a school in the city.
Teams that meet the requirements will be shortlisted and will receive confirmation by email.
What happens next
During the school year, the adults responsible for the teams receive 10 hours of theory and 10 hours of hands-on labs in electronics, sensors, programming, prototyping and documentation, with online support. In-person sessions take place at La Azucarera, the home of Zaragoza Joven, and can also be followed remotely.
- 9 April 2027: each team submits its scientific and technical report.
- 16 April 2027: selection day at La Azucarera. Each team presents its project to a panel made up of the three organisations, which chooses up to six experiments.
- 7 May 2027: each selected team submits its scientific poster.
- 19 June 2027: planned launch date. It may change because of the weather or the permits, and the site is decided in the days before.
Each capsule weighs no more than 300 grams, measures no more than 30 × 30 × 30 cm, and must run for at least four hours and withstand the cold, the low pressure and the landing. The full requirements are in Annex I of the rules. The organisers cover the balloon operation; each team pays for the materials of its capsule and may look for sponsorship.
More information: Zaragoza City Council Youth Service, programacionjoven@zaragoza.es, telephone +34 976 724 579.