Malta’s First-Ever Student Rocket To Compete On The European Stage
The University of Malta’s Rocketry Team officially unveiled their student-designed rocket during an event organised by Xjenza Malta and held at the Esplora Planetarium Hall, marking a major milestone in Malta’s journey into aerospace innovation. This rocket will represent Malta’s first-ever entry into the prestigious European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC), which brings together university teams from across Europe to demonstrate technical excellence in rocketry.
The event welcomed students, academics and public sector stakeholders, highlighting the University’s growing commitment to applied engineering and space-related innovation.
“This project showcases the exceptional talent and ambition of Maltese students and reflects Xjenza Malta’s dedication to supporting these kinds of initiatives,” said Dr Michael Quinton, representative of Xjenza Malta, during the opening remarks.
The UM Rocketry Team, composed of around 50 students from various faculties, has spent the past several months designing, building and testing a fully functional rocket. In the coming weeks, the rocket will undergo a static fire of its propulsion system as well as a live test launch aiming for an altitude of 1 kilometre. These milestones are essential in preparing for EuRoC 2025 in Portugal, where the team will compete to reach a 3-kilometre altitude.
The team is divided into three key areas of focus. The structures and stability teams are responsible for the structural and aerodynamic aspects of the rocket, ensuring stability and resilience during flight. The propulsion team develops the solid propulsion system with an emphasis on safety, efficiency and high performance. Meanwhile, the avionics team handles real-time data collection, key deployment events and live monitoring throughout testing and flight. These teams are under the supervision of the Chief of Operations Mr Ryan Grech and are further supported by the manufacturing and safety teams.
“What started as an ambitious idea among students has grown into a fully-fledged engineering project with national significance,” said Mr Francesco Cini, Founder and President of UM Rocketry.
The evening concluded with a networking session and up-close viewing of the rocket, offering attendees the opportunity to learn more about the technical challenges and achievements of the project.
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