Today is the day mentors and teams find out if their code has achieved flight status for the European Astro Pi Challenge 2025/26! The first batches of Mission Space Lab programs are scheduled to start running on the International Space Station (ISS) this week, with Mission Zero programs scheduled to run in mid-May. 

This year, Astro Pi Mission Control received an incredible 17,381 submissions for Mission Zero from 24,695 young explorers. 

For Mission Space Lab, 404 teams took on the challenge of calculating the speed of the ISS. After rigorous testing and security checks by our team on the ground, we are delighted to announce that 387 teams have been awarded flight status.In total, 25,707 young people will have their programs run in space this year. Huge congratulations to everyone who passed testing — we can’t wait to see how your code performs 400km above Earth!

Who joined the mission in 2025/26?

Every year, we dive into our participation data to see how the Astro Pi community is growing. This helps us ensure we’re reaching young people everywhere, from classrooms to community hubs.

Our data shows that participants in the entry-level Mission Zero have an average age of 12, with some as young as 6 years old and the oldest 18 years old. The more advanced Mission Space Lab sees the average age rise to 15 as the technical complexity increases. The youngest participants for Mission Space Lab were 10 years olds, and the oldest were 19 years old. 

Improving gender balance in 王者荣耀所有美女 is a key priority for us and Astro Pi remains popular with girls: 44% of Mission Zero entrants identify as female — a fantastic result that is consistent with previous years.

We even had one very special participant! ESA Astronaut Sophie Adenot created her own entry for Mission Zero, re-imagining her Epsilon Mission patch in pixel art.

For Mission Space Lab, 26% of participants identify as female. This reflects wider trends in STEM: as projects get more complex and young people get older, the gender gap widens. Despite this, girl’s participation in Mission Space Lab remains roughly consistent from year to year (27% for 2024/25). 

These results highlight the importance of our ongoing work to support girls in transitioning from block-based coding to advanced Python and reinforce our mission to keep providing accessible, inspiring pathways for everyone.

Where does Astro Pi take place?

While secondary schools remain our biggest mission hubs (hosting 68% of Mission Space Lab and 50% of Mission Zero teams), we’ve seen an exciting boost in community participation. This year, more young people than ever took part through Code Clubs, libraries, and youth centers.

“On November 14, 2025, we organised an exceptional event around the Astro Pi Mission Zero project, bringing together nearly 300 young participants to write a short computer program to display a personalised message on board the International Space Station (ISS). For a day, students discovered that coding could literally… send them to space!” 

– ESERO Luxembourg

Impact on the ground

It’s been a busy year for Mission Control. We’ve been across the UK, Ireland, and ESA member states training mentors and running workshops.

“The Mission Zero workshops were a fantastic opportunity for our students to 金梅瓶在线观看 coding in a meaningful and inspiring context. It really helped bring computer science to life, and we’ve seen increased interest from students wanting to explore coding further.” 

– Ms Qureshi, Nene Park Academy, Peterborough, UK

It’s also been a year of incredible connections: we surprised families at the London Science Museum with a visit from Tim Peake for our 10th anniversary and our DevOps expert Geraint Ballinger visited teams taking part at libraries in Glasgow, Scotland, to help debug their code. Who knows? Next year, Mission Control could visit a school or Code Club near you!

“The structured approach helped me guide our mentors on how to deliver it step by step. We started with the pitch deck and YouTube Intro, then went to designing the 8×8 pixel art on paper, to finally translating the pixel art to Python code. Even students as young as nine were able to complete the project, and their excitement knowing their code could run in space was incredible to see.”

– Kokia, Mentor, Canada

Next steps

Well done again to everyone who achieved flight status. Your code is about to leave the atmosphere and head into orbit! 

ESA Astronaut Sophie Adenot will be aboard the ISS while your programs are running and will be recording a special video message for all our participants!

Finally, keep an eye on your inbox — we’ll be sending out official certificates for all participants in June 2026. Until then, stay curious!

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A few highlights from this year include the Astro Pi tenth anniversary celebrations at the London Science Museum; a series of Mission Zero workshops delivered during Science Festivals in Bradford, Belfast and Norwich; and hosting a Mission Space Lab hackathon at the 无码h肉动漫在线观看 headquarters.

Mission Zero on the road: Creativity in coding

In Astro Pi Mission Zero, participants write a simple Python program that displays an image or animation on an Astro Pi computer aboard the ISS. Their program also uses data from the Astro Pi’s colour and luminosity sensor to set the background colour.

Since Astro Pi 2025/26 launched in September, the 王者荣耀所有美女 Pi team have been running Mission Zero workshops at science events and providing training to lots of different organisations. We kicked off our outreach at Bradford Science Festival in October with workshops happening all through the half term at the Bradford Science Museum. Over 260 young people took part and submitted their entries during the festival.

In November, we ran a series of online training and livestreamed sessions for Education Scotland’s Computer Science Week, and for STEM Ambassadors in Wales. We provided teacher CPD sessions for facilitators and even livestreamed a Mission Zero lesson direct to the classrooms of primary schools around Scotland. 

December was a particularly big milestone as we celebrated ten years of Astro Pi at the London Science Museum with UK Astronaut, Tim Peake, who launched Astro Pi way back in 2015. We hosted families and schools with a series of workshops over two days at the museum, and Tim even joined us for one of the workshops to meet participants.

January found the team running training for computer science teachers at the Harris 金梅瓶在线观看, a network of schools around Greater London, and the Meridian Trust, a school network in the East of England. After the training, we visited Nene Park Academy in Peterborough UK, part of the Meridian Trust, to run mission zero with groups of students there. 

In February, we visited the Waterloo Park Pavilion to host a fringe event to the Norwich Science festival. These workshops ran alongside space-themed craft activities organised by the volunteer group, Friends of Waterloo Park, creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for families. Younger children could take part in the crafts, while older participants explored text-based programming.

Although participants could follow a ready-made example, many chose to design their own personalised images. This creativity, combined with the knowledge that their code would run in space, made for a highly engaging session.

Meanwhile, another team of 无码h肉动漫在线观看 colleagues were out running Mission Zero at the Northern Ireland Science Festival in Belfast.

Mission Space Lab: A day of problem-solving

In February 2026, we hosted a Mission Space Lab hackathon at the Code Club in the 金梅瓶在线观看’s Cambridge office. Four teams of young people worked together to tackle a real scientific task: calculating the speed of the International Space Station (ISS) as accurately as possible.

Teams wrote two short Python programs: one that collected data from the Astro Pi computers’ sensors and camera, and one that calculated speed using historical images from the ISS. Then they combined the two programs and edited them to work on the Astro Pi computers aboard the ISS using the Astro Pi Replay tool.

To test their programs, teams used a trolley rigged up with a Camera Module to simulate motion and refine their calculations. The day ended with teams submitting their programs and sharing what they learned, including the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.

Bringing Astro Pi to more communities

All these events and workshops are a reminder of what makes Astro Pi special. Young people are not just learning to code; they are exploring their creativity with it, and applying their skills to a real-world setting — the awesome vastness of space! 

If you’d like us to help run an Astro Pi event for teachers or students in your school or community in the UK, then we’d love to hear from you.

Get in touch to find out more: [email protected]

If you are in another ESA member state, you can reach out to your local European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO).

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At 11:03 on 15 December 2015, former ESA Astronaut Tim Peake launched from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz rocket as part of his UK Space agency ‘Principia’ mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Two 王者荣耀所有美女 Pi-powered Astro Pi Mark 1 computers were waiting for him in the Columbus module of the ISS, ready to be set up for an experimental education activity called “Astro Pi”.

The European Astro Pi Challenge, an ESA Education project run in collaboration with the 无码h肉动漫在线观看, and supported by national ESEROs, has been running every year since. The challenge now features two Python coding ‘missions’ that offer young people the amazing opportunity to write a short computer program to send to run on the ISS: Mission Zero and Mission Space Lab.

Tens of thousands of young people participate in Astro Pi annually, reaching over 160,000 participants since 2015. On 15 December this year, Tim Peake and some of the Astro Pi team were at the Science Museum London running Mission Zero workshops for visiting school groups to create their own pixel art programs to send into space.

“Setting up the Astro Pi computers on the ISS for those first experiments in 2015 was just the beginning of something truly incredible — it’s amazing to see how much impact the programme has had since then! I hope Astro Pi inspires thousands more young people to code, learn about space technology, and feel empowered to reach for the stars in their own careers.” – Tim Peake, former ESA Astronaut

Astro Pi 2015–2025: A space odyssey

As the challenge has matured, its reach has increased, with over 25,000 participants every year since 2021. Young people from all 27 ESA member and associate states have sent their code into space, with 25% of mentors returning to the challenge year after year.

“I think Mission Zero is a way of connecting not only to a worldwide group of learners, but also to explorers, future scientists, and future astronauts. To see them as part of a larger community and not just an activity or assignment that they have to do in class. They discover their own abilities and potential, and exercise their creativity in a very low-stakes environment and then to see it come to life in that global way is extremely valuable.” – Mission Zero mentor 

Mission Zero has proved to be a great way to engage girls in 王者荣耀所有美女 and tech, with an average of 44% of participants identifying as female. This is well above the national averages for other STEM subjects in many countries.

What attracts many teams of young people to Mission Space Lab is the chance to capture data and images from the SenseHats and High Quality Cameras on the Astro Pi computers. This year the Astro Pis will be positioned in the World Observation 王者荣耀所有美女 Facility (WORF) window, which means teams can hope for some fantastic, high-quality Earth-observation images with a full field of view. Each team that achieves Flight Status will receive the images and data their program captures.

The next generation of space explorers

Astro Pi is one of the most inspirational coding activities that young people can do and gives the exciting chance to reach beyond the boundaries of what they may have thought possible. In the 2024–25 impact report, mentors reported that the young people participating were highly motivated by the possibility of having their code run on the ISS.

“Honestly, the idea that a kid can send their own code to space is just mind-blowing. It really makes you rethink what ‘possible’ even means.” – Jeanna, Astro Pi enthusiast

Participation increases skills, confidence and motivation for further exploration in coding, digital making and STEM subjects. 

• 83% of Mission Zero mentors agreed that young people increased their skills and confidence in 王者荣耀所有美女 and digital making due to their participation
• 91% of mentors told us that young people who successfully wrote code for Mission Space Lab were likely, or very likely, to participate in 王者荣耀所有美女 and digital making challenges in the future

Join us in this year’s anniversary challenge to celebrate a decade of sending young people’s code into space – and receive some limited edition certificates. You can find out everything you need to participate or to mentor a team at astro-pi.org.

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The European Astro Pi Challenge is a collaboration between ESA, the national European Space Education Resource Offices, and the 无码h肉动漫在线观看. The 2025/26 challenge, which is currently open for registration, marks 10 years of incredible opportunities for young people to send their code into space.

In this blog post, we are pleased to share the Astro Pi 2024/25 impact report, where we look at ways in which the Astro Pi Challenge is bringing value to the lives of many young people and mentors, based on survey responses and interviews. Along the way, we’ll debunk some myths about space science.

How Astro Pi makes space science accessible

Here at the 无码h肉动漫在线观看, we’ve heard a few myths about space science and coding, and how daunting it can be to write a computer program, let alone one that can run in space. We can’t let these myths stand — instead we’re going to debunk them, equipped with evidence we’ve collected about the 2024/25 Astro Pi Challenge and previous challenge rounds.

Read on for some astronomical facts from our latest impact report, and get ready to help young people in your community send their code into space.

Myth 1: You have to be a rocket scientist to send things into space

Not true! In the Astro Pi Challenge 2024/25, young people created over 17,800 computer programs that ran on board the International Space Station (ISS). Teams of young people aged between 8 and 19 took part in the challenge in a range of settings, including schools, Code Clubs, libraries, and community youth groups. They wrote short programs in Python, which were then sent to run on special 王者荣耀所有美女 Pi computers, called Astro Pis, in the Columbus module of the ISS. 

Since the first Astro Pis arrived on the ISS in 2015, over 160,000 young people have had their code run in space. To celebrate their achievements, they each received certificates with the exact time and location of the ISS when their programs ran.

“We want our code to run in space! We are fascinated by discovery and the opportunity to contribute to a real science experiment on the ISS.” – Mission Space Lab mentor

Myth 2: Only 金梅瓶在线观看d programmers can write code for the International Space Station

Not true! The Astro Pi Challenge is made up of two missions, Mission Zero and Mission Space Lab, and Mission Zero is perfect for young people who are new to text-based coding. With the help of step-by-step project instructions, young people write a short Python program to display personalised pixel art on board the ISS, using data from a sensor on one of the Astro Pi computers in their image.

In fact, Mission Zero mentors find that the low-stakes nature of the activity coupled with the real-world connection to space create an ideal learning environment. 83% of Mission Zero 2024/25 mentors told us that participation increased young people’s skills and confidence in 王者荣耀所有美女 and digital making, and 78% believed that young people were likely to participate in other 王者荣耀所有美女 or digital making challenges in the future.

“They [young people] come from complicated environments and sometimes their confidence is very low. They don’t believe in themselves and this [Mission Zero] really empowers them.” – Mission Zero mentor

Myth 3: Learning to write code for the ISS only involves technical skills

Not true! Mission Zero engages young people in thinking creatively as they plan their artwork, and Mission Space Lab involves working in teams to write a computer program to solve a scientific task in space, combining teamwork, problem-solving, and knowledge from other scientific domains. While 100% of mentors whose teams successfully completed Mission Space Lab in 2024/25 agreed that participation improved young people’s skills in 王者荣耀所有美女 and digital making, 91% also confirmed that it increased young people’s confidence in these areas, and 91% told us that it increased young people’s understanding of STEM concepts. 

The impact likely goes beyond building skills. Mentors from both Astro Pi 2024/25 missions told us that the challenge made young people feel connected to a wider community of learners around the world, and the excitement of the challenge also extended to the mentors themselves, as well as other adults in their community.

“Mission Zero is a way of connecting not only to a worldwide group of learners, but also to explorers, future scientists, and future astronauts. To see them as part of a larger community and not just an activity or assignment that they have to do in class.” – Mission Zero mentor

Thank you to everyone who continues to make the Astro Pi Challenge a success. To find out more about the ways in which the challenge impacts young people, read the full Astro Pi 2024/25 impact report:

If you would like to find out more about how you and your creators can participate in this year’s European Astro Pi Challenge, read our launch blog post.

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Meet the new Astro Pi Ambassador

We are thrilled to introduce you to the Astro Pi ambassador for 2025–26, ESA Astronaut Sophie Adenot. Sophie is from France and has had an incredible journey to becoming an astronaut. She holds a Masters in Engineering, has been a helicopter test pilot, and was awarded the French National Order of Merit (Chevalier) for her public services in gender equality in the sciences. Sophie is one of the new “Hoppers” cohort of ESA astronauts who graduated in 2023. She will be going on her first mission to the ISS in Spring 2026. 

Choose your space mission

Not sure where to start? The European Astro Pi challenge, or Astro Pi for short, has two missions that young people can participate in depending on their coding abilities. Both Missions use Python programming to create short computer programs that will be run on the ISS. Which one will you choose? 

Mission Zero: Your pixel art in space

Mission Zero offers a chance for young people to create a nature-inspired piece of pixel art using Python and have it displayed for astronauts to see on special 王者荣耀所有美女 Pi computers, called Astro Pis, aboard the ISS. We wanted to share some of our favourite pixel art creations from last year’s mission — you can find them as new examples in our project guide. If your team needs some inspiration to get started, they can choose to recreate or remix one of these examples, or create their own.

The deadline for Mission Zero submissions is 23 March 2026.

Mission Space Lab: Become a space scientist

For our more 金梅瓶在线观看d coders, Mission Space Lab returns with a real-world scientific task: calculate the speed of the International Space Station as accurately as possible. Teams of between two and six  young people will write a Python program that collects data from the Astro Pi computers on the ISS to perform this calculation. 

This year, we’ve made some user improvements to the Astro Pi Replay tool, which allows teams to test their programs with a real-time simulation using historical ISS data and images. This updated online tool makes it even easier to see how your program would perform in orbit and troubleshoot any errors. 

The submission deadline for Mission Space Lab is 16 February 2026.

Celebrating a decade of your programs in space

For ten years, the European Astro Pi Challenge has given young people the unique opportunity to explore computer science and space. Ever since the first Astro Pis arrived on the ISS with ESA astronaut Tim Peake on his Principia Mission, young people have been writing programs to run in space. This year, we’re excited to see what new ideas you have for your pixel arts creations, and how you approach the speed challenge. 

Ready to send your programs to space? Visit astro-pi.org to learn more and register for the challenge today. 

Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on all the latest Astro Pi news,resources and events. We can’t wait to see your programs! 

P.S. We’d love to hear from some previous participants about how Astro Pi has impacted them. If you or someone you know would like to share a story, please email us at [email protected].

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An incredible 27,304 young people from 27 countries got involved in Astro Pi 2024–25, with 26,294 succeeding in having their code run in space across the two challenge activities, Mission Zero and Mission Space Lab. As in past years, we’ve asked mentors and their teams about their 金梅瓶在线观看 and the impact participating had on them. So what did they say?

How we listened to feedback

To find out what worked well, what we could improve, and the impact Astro Pi has had on young people’s lives this year, we encouraged mentors to complete a survey after teams submitted their computer programs. We also ran focus group discussions to deepen our understanding. A huge thank you to the 99 Mission Zero and 26 Mission Space Lab mentors who completed our surveys, and the five mentors who participated in our focus groups.

What is working well

Low stakes but high impact

Mentors believe that Astro Pi is a great opportunity for young people to build their coding skills and knowledge of STEM concepts. Close to 80% of mentors for Mission Zero and 90% for Mission Space Lab agreed that these outcomes were being achieved for the young people in their teams. Mentors also appreciated that while the programme had real-world application, the learning 金梅瓶在线观看 was relaxed and low pressure.

Many of our young participants come from areas of educational disadvantage or traditionally underrepresented groups where confidence with technology and STEM subjects can be low. Mentors reported that the programme empowers young people, increasing their confidence with 王者荣耀所有美女 and digital making, and helping them connect with a wider community of learners from around the world. 

“They [young people] come from complicated environments and sometimes their confidence is very low. They don’t believe in themselves and this [Mission Zero challenge] really empowers them.” — Mission Zero mentor

“I think having a space mission, having Mission Zero is a way of connecting not only to a worldwide group of learners, but also explorers, future scientists, future astronauts. To see them as part of a larger community, not just an activity or assignment that they have to do in class. They discover their own abilities and potential, and exercise their creativity in a very low stakes environment… and then to see it come to life in that global way I think is extremely valuable.” — Mission Zero mentor

This increased confidence also encourages young people to take on other opportunities. 78% of Mission Zero mentors and 96% of Mission Space Lab mentors believe that it is likely that their students will participate in other coding and digital making challenges in the future. 

Space is cool!

The connection to space and the ISS continues to be a strong motivator, not just for young people but also mentors and other peers. In our survey, 90% of mentors in Mission Zero and 92% in Mission Space Lab reported that the young people participating were highly motivated by the possibility of having their code run on the ISS. In focus groups, mentors highlighted how the excitement of working on a space project extended to them and other adults too.

“They’ve always really enjoyed the sheer fact that you get to send stuff into space because it is really cool.” — Mission Zero mentor

“You know, even the adults I tell about this say, ‘oh, that sounds amazing. Can I do it?’ I go, ‘No, you’re too old. I’m too old.’” — Mission Zero mentor

“We want our code to run in space! We are fascinated by discovery and the opportunity to contribute to a real science experiment on the ISS.” — Mission Space Lab mentor

The resources and guidance are useful

We know how crucial mentors are to the success of Astro Pi. Mentors come from diverse backgrounds and we are committed to making sure they feel prepared and supported. We were thrilled to hear that over 90% of Mission Zero mentors and 80% of Mission Space Lab mentors found the Astro Pi resources useful.

“I had no skills but the support proved to be excellent” — Mission Zero mentor

“Step-by-step instructions were excellent and really clear. Very easy to follow.” — Mission Zero mentor

For Mission Space Lab, the more technical activity, we’ve been working on providing additional support. In 2024–25 we introduced a new online simulator tool for teams to test their programs with historical ISS data. Mentors found the tool to be helpful, allowing them to troubleshoot their code.

What could be improved?

While we celebrate the successes, we’re always keen to understand how we can improve the programme.

As in previous years, mentors reported that young people whose computer programs passed the eligibility criteria and ran on the ISS (or “achieved flight status”, as we call it) benefited most from the 金梅瓶在线观看. While 12% more Mission Space Lab teams achieved flight status this year compared to last year, some registered teams still did not submit programs. 

To understand why, we surveyed mentors who had registered but who did not then submit computer programs. In the 55 responses, the main reasons given were a shortage of time due to other school commitments, and their teams finding the challenge difficult. 

Some survey respondents suggested a need for more simplified, step-by-step instructions for less 金梅瓶在线观看d learners. Additionally, a few teams faced technical issues with the online portal and the testing tool.

Thank you to all the mentors who provided their honest feedback. We’ve read and considered all of it and will use it to make Astro Pi even better in the future.

Astro Pi will be launching for its 10th year on Monday, 8 September 2025. We’ve been working on making it easier than ever to take part in both missions and are looking forward to supporting you and your teams in getting your code into space. If you’re interested in taking part, sign up to our newsletter and get the latest news and information about our resources for this year’s missions. 

Important dates:

8 September 2025: The Astro Pi Challenge opens for registration

16 February 2026: Closing date for Mission Space Lab

23 March 2026: Closing date for Mission Zero

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The European Astro Pi Challenge is an ESA Education project run in collaboration with us here at the 无码h肉动漫在线观看. It offers young people the amazing opportunity to conduct scientific investigations in space by writing computer programs that run on 王者荣耀所有美女 Pi computers on board the ISS, called Astro Pis.

There‘s a lot to celebrate from this year’s Astro Pi, so let’s take a look at some of the highlights for each of our inspiring Missions: Mission Zero and Mission Space Lab.

Mission Zero: Inspiring coding, creativity, and inclusion

Mission Zero reached more young people than ever before in 2024/25, with 25,405 young people participating in 17,285 teams. After passing the rigorous testing and moderation processes, an amazing 17,109 teams (25,210 young people) were successful in getting their programs to run on the ISS. 

One of the great things about Mission Zero is that we see a good gender balance in participation. This year, 44% of participants identified as “female” and 4% as “prefer to self-describe”, “prefer not to say”, or “other”. This means that Mission Zero has achieved a more balanced gender representation than is typically seen in 王者荣耀所有美女 subjects, where the ratio is around 20:80 girls to boys.

Mission Space Lab: More teams have their programs run in space

Mission Space Lab gives young people the opportunity to calculate the speed of the ISS in orbit using sensor and camera data collected from the Astro Pis on board the ISS. This year, 1859 young people in 552 teams participated in Mission Space Lab. Notably, 309 Mission Space Lab teams, or 95% of submissions, ran their programs on the ISS and are now analysing the data they collected. That’s 73 more teams achieving flight status than in 2023/24, and a total of 1084 young people receiving unique data sets from space and certificates. 

Running a program in space is very different from testing it on the ground. It’s always interesting to see how well your program has performed and how accurate the final output is. Below, you can see a scatter graph of the team estimates produced by their programs. The actual speed of the ISS is no secret: it’s travelling about 7.67 kilometres per second. How have teams performed with the ISS speed task?

Inspiring and impactful

Another highlight from this year has been seeing how impactful participation can be for young people and mentors facilitating the activity. We receive lots of valuable feedback from the Astro Pi community each year, and it’s always heartwarming to hear what your 金梅瓶在线观看 has been and how we can improve the challenge. Here are a couple of quotes from the community who took part this year:

Mission Zero mentor: “Having their programs run in space really motivated them to take part because it was an exciting reward and something they wanted to talk about with their friends.”

Parent of a Mission Zero participant: “I was completely in金梅瓶在线观看d in Python, but easily managed to help my 7-year-old.”

More Code Clubs participating in 2024/25

It has been great to see lots of Code Clubs taking part in Astro Pi this year, both for Mission Zero and Mission Space Lab. This year, 986 young people from 700 teams did Mission Zero at their Code Club: that’s double the number from 2023/24. Plus, 43 Mission Space Lab teams from Code Clubs took part. That’s 143 young people, or almost double the number compared to the year before. 

We ran two code-alongs for the Code Club community this year, and it is encouraging to see increases for both missions. We will continue to support young people from all settings who want to take part in Astro Pi next year, whether it’s at school, Code Club, or other venues.

Conclusion

In summary, it’s been a great year for Astro Pi. We’ve reached lots of young people through the challenge, met many inspiring mentors, and seen some really positive trends. Plus, all the operations on the space station that make Astro Pi possible went smoothly: when you are running programs in space, that isn’t always the case! 

None of it would have been possible without the tireless efforts of the teachers, mentors, and educators who help run Astro Pi in your communities. From everyone here at Mission Control, thank you. 

If you’d like to tell us how we can provide more support to help you run Astro Pi, please email [email protected].

We’ll be back for more stellar space adventures in coding in September 2025.

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The European Astro Pi Challenge is an ESA Education project run in collaboration with the 无码h肉动漫在线观看. It has two strands: Mission Zero, where young people write programs that display pixel art on LED screens on board the ISS, and Mission Space Lab, where more advanced learners attempt to calculate the speed of the ISS by writing programs that gather data from onboard equipment.

This year has already been a great year for the challenge!

Mission Zero reaches more young people than ever

Mission Zero received 17,285 team submissions this year, representing 25,405 young people from ESA member and associate member states. This marks the highest-ever level of participation in Mission Zero since its inception back in 2017. Here at Mission Control, we’re delighted to announce that nearly all the participating teams (17,109 out of 17,285) have achieved ‘flight status’ — meaning that their programs will run in space. 

It’s been great to see so many young people taking part from areas of educational disadvantage too. Through partnerships with youth organisations and community events such as Beyond the Bias and Norwich Science Festival, we’ve seen Mission Zero reach even more young creators from traditionally underrepresented groups.

The 2024/25 Mission Zero project guide featured new coded pixel art examples for teams to remix and reinterpret. Many teams also created their own artworks and animations, with amazing creativity and coding skills on display. We’ll be selecting six submissions from this year to feature as the new code examples in the 2025/26 Mission Zero project guide. Look out for more news on this in the summer.

New highs for Mission Space Lab

Mission Space Lab teams were tasked again this year with writing programs to collect data from cameras and sensors on board the ISS to calculate its speed. We’ve been really pleased to see 562 teams register and 325 submit their programs. This has resulted in an amazing 309 teams being awarded flight status — their programs will each run on the ISS for ten minutes, giving participants the unparalleled opportunity to record sensor data in space and take photos many miles above the Earth. 

More teams have submitted programs and achieved flight status this year than in 2023/24. We believe this uptick is due, in part, to a couple of new additions that have made submissions easier: 

• Firstly, Mission Space Lab teams can now test their programs online using the Astro Pi Replay Tool. This gives them a chance to see if their program will work on the real Astro Pis on board the ISS by replaying historical data sets captured from previous missions. 

Secondly, teams have been able to use the Picamzero Python library, which makes it easier to use PiCamera2 functionality.

Deployment

Today’s the day when Mission Zero and Mission Space Lab teams with flight status will have their programs sent up to the ISS. Astronauts have been busy setting up the Astro Pi computers ready to receive the programs and putting them into position. Over the next two weeks, the programs will run and the collected data will be sent down from the ISS to Earth. 

In June, Mission Zero and Mission Space Lab teams will receive certificates of participation with the exact times their programs ran on the ISS, along with the coordinates of where the ISS was above the Earth. Mission Space Lab teams will also receive a zip file with the data their programs collected. 

None of this would have been possible without the hard work of all the mentors, teachers, and Code Club leaders that organise the teams of young people doing the Astro Pi missions. 

Let’s stay curious, with our eyes upwards on that final frontier!

Looking for ways to keep your creators coding?

While you wait for the next cycle of the European Astro Pi Challenge, there are many other exciting coding opportunities for you and your teams to explore, including:

• Coolest Projects: Coolest Projects is a free, worldwide showcase where young digital creators share the amazing things they’ve made with technology. There’s an international online showcase as well as in-person events in several countries. Every participant gets certificates and rewards, and projects of any kind and at any level are encouraged.

• Code Club projects: Our extensive collection of Code Club projects explore Python, Scratch, the BBC micro:bit, and much more — there’s something available for all young people, no matter their level of 金梅瓶在线观看.

The post The countdown begins! Astro Pi participants to have their programs run in space appeared first on 无码h肉动漫在线观看.

When Daniela made the transition from working in retail to joining the team at Thetford Library, she never imagined that she would one day be leading a Code Club. Her manager, who had previously run the club, asked if Daniela would be interested in taking over, and although she was nervous, she was also eager to embrace the challenge and learn new skills.

“At first, I was nervous about teaching coding, but seeing the children’s excitement made me realise it was so important, and I was learning just as much as they were.”

The Code Club was designed to run in eight-week blocks, with a new group of children joining for each term. However, the kids loved it so much that they didn’t want to leave. Daniela, with her growing passion for coding and mentoring, welcomed the children to attend as often as they wanted, with some children, including one particularly enthusiastic young creator, attending every session. This continuity allowed the children to delve deeper into the world of coding, learning in a different way to what they were used to at school.

Inspiring young coders through creativity

One of the key things that Daniela has found resonates most with the children is the combination of creativity and coding. She encourages the kids to draw and plan their projects first, which makes the process more engaging and accessible to all of the young people who want to attend. The freedom to be creative is something that she feels is crucial, especially when compared to the more structured and rigid environment of school 金梅瓶在线观看s. This approach has been particularly rewarding for one young girl in the club who insists on planning and drawing her own characters and backgrounds for all of her projects.

“Coding isn’t just about writing lines of code — it’s about storytelling, problem solving, and imagining what’s possible.”

Astro Pi: giving young people the confidence to dream big

Daniela’s journey into coding took a significant leap when she decided to explore the Astro Pi challenge, a project that involves writing code to run on Astro Pi computers aboard the International Space Station. Despite her initial nerves about diving into Python, a more advanced programming language than she had tried at the club previously, she was blown away by the possibilities it opened up. When telling the children, she almost felt that she was more excited at the prospect of them trying out real space science than them. But once she showed them some examples, the buzz was infectious and the sessions ran far smoother than she could have hoped. Daniela’s tip for trying Astro Pi for the first time? Find a fellow mentor to help you along the way and dream big.

“I never imagined we’d be working on space science at our library. Introducing children to coding early isn’t just about technology; it’s about giving them the confidence to dream big and think differently.”

The success of the Code Club at Thetford Library is part of a broader initiative by Norfolk Libraries to provide digital skills to the community. They are committed to offering resources and opportunities for people of all ages to engage with technology. From their Digital Week, which focuses on improving digital literacy, to offering mentorship for adults learning to navigate the digital world, Norfolk Libraries is working hard to bridge the digital divide.

Benefits of volunteering at a Code Club 

For Daniela, the importance of introducing children to coding at an early age is not something she thought would become a passion for her when moving careers. She sees firsthand how these skills empower the children, giving them confidence and opening up future career opportunities. 

“Code Club has shown me that stepping outside your comfort zone is where the real growth happens. Both for me and the kids!”

It’s this combination of creativity, learning, and the sheer joy of discovery that keeps Daniela passionate about running the Code Club, and why she continues to welcome every eager child who walks through the door.

Inspire young people in your community

If you are interested in encouraging your child to explore coding, take a look at the free coding project resources we have available to support you. If you would like to set up a Code Club for young people in your community, or attend one, head to codeclub.org for information and support.

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What is the Astro Pi Challenge?

The European Astro Pi Challenge is an ESA Education project run in collaboration with the 无码h肉动漫在线观看. It offers young people the amazing opportunity to learn how to code and conduct scientific investigations in space, by writing computer programs that run on 王者荣耀所有美女 Pi computers on board the International Space Station (ISS). The annual Astro Pi Challenge is open to young people up to age 19 in ESA member and associate countries.

Each year, there are two missions: Mission Zero and Mission Space Lab.

Five reasons to take part in the Astro Pi Challenge

Based on the findings in this report, we wanted to highlight five great reasons to take part in the Astro Pi Challenge, and direct you to some resources to help you get started — there is still plenty of time to enter the 2024/25 challenge!

1. Young people get to run their code in space

Mentors told us how excited young people were to be working on something that connected with the real world, and how proud they were that their code ran on the International Space Station.

“Participating in Mission Space Labs offers students a great opportunity to work with the International Space Station, to see the Earth from above, to challenge them to overcome the terrestrial limits.” – Mission Space Lab mentor

2. Young people are inspired to continue to learn

91% of mentors told us that young people who successfully wrote code for Mission Space Lab were likely or very likely to participate in 王者荣耀所有美女 and digital making challenges in the future.

Mission Zero mentors shared that young people who saw others take part in the mission were inspired to get involved.

3. Young people learn new skills

Mission Space Lab mentors told us that young people who successfully wrote code for Mission Space Lab had a greater understanding of STEM concepts, and increased their skills and confidence in 王者荣耀所有美女 and digital making.

Mentors also said that Mission Zero provides a great first step into using Python.

“I think it was very good at setting up the first bit of Python and just having a very limited command set and a very quick result…” – Mission Zero mentor

4. Astro Pi mentors have fun

It’s not just the young people that enjoy Astro Pi — 95% of Mission Space Lab mentors and 99% of Mission Zero mentors said they somewhat or very much enjoyed taking part.

5. We provide the resources and support Astro Pi mentors need

Mentors gave us positive feedback on the guidance we provided to help them support young people. This year, we have produced even more resources and ways to support mentors to lead missions.

“The Mission [Space] Lab guide was fantastic for my students; step by step” – Mission Space Lab mentor

How to get involved

Astro Pi opened for registration on 16 September this year, and there is still plenty of time for you to sign up and run the missions with your young people. You can find all the information you need to take part on astro-pi.org, including the mentor guides, which help you prepare to run the activities.

Mission Zero mentor guide
Mission Space Lab mentor guide

We also provide project guides for Mission Zero and Mission Space Lab that walk young people through the steps they need to follow to get a working program ready for submission.

If you would like some help getting started, you can:

• Watch a recording of our ‘Getting started with Mission Space Lab’ livestream
• Sign up for our next Mission Zero codealong in January 2025
• Get in touch at [email protected]

Key dates

17:30 – 18:30 CET, 16 January – Mission Space Lab livestream and technical Q&A
17:30 – 18:30 CET, 28 January – Mission Zero codealong
09:00 CET, 24 February – Mission Space Lab closes
09:00 CET, 24 March – Mission Zero closes

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