Krakow, September 8, 2024 – The jubilee edition of the European Rover Challenge (ERC), a prestigious international space robotics competition, has come to an end. 24 teams representing universities from all over the world took part in the competition. The jury decided that the Swiss FHNW Rover Team won, having done best in the so-called Marsyard, a space inspired by the Red Planet, where the competition of constructed Mars rovers took place. The event, which attracts hundreds of outstanding scientists, experts and enthusiasts of the space sector every year, took place on September 6-8 in Krakow, on the premises of the AGH University of Science and Technology.

The ERC 2024 finals brought together students from the best technical universities, representing 11 countries from around the world, including Denmark, Switzerland, Serbia and Great Britain. There was also a Polish accent, as five engineering teams from Poland took part in the competition. After three days of competition, meeting the challenges of specially designed competitions and gaining 2258.24 points out of 3000 possible, the FHNW Rover Team from Switzerland won. They were followed by the hosts from the Polish AGH Space Systems with a score of 2026.5 points, and third place was taken by the ITU Rover Team from Turkey with a score of 1796.6.

“The jubilee edition of ERC 2024 is not only an international duel for a prestigious title. It is already the tenth, unique opportunity for young engineers planning their career in the space and robotics sector. Together with the organizers and partners of the event, we are happy that every year the competition attracts such excellent experts, thanks to which we are actually expanding the group of recipients we reach with this unique program. This is proven by the constantly expanding group of event participants and special guests, including from ESA and NASA” – says Łukasz Wilczyński, the originator and main organizer of the event.

Classification of the distinguished teams of the ERC 2024 competition:

The Mars rover competition was not the only attraction of the past weekend as part of ERC 2024. There was also a popular science conference, during which outstanding specialists and scientists gave their lectures. During the event, representatives of the domestic and foreign space sector met, as well as representatives of space agencies such as NASA, ESA and DLR. Among the lectures, one could hear, among others, Dr. Swati Mohan – a key expert at NASA JPL and the chief engineer of the Mars 2020 mission, and Simon Jenner – a representative of Axiom Space, a leading provider of manned spaceflight services.

The scientific exhibitor zone was also waiting for all seekers of technological novelties and astronomy enthusiasts, regardless of age or level of knowledge. It was an opportunity to take advantage of free workshops and conduct scientific experiments at the exhibitors’ stands. This year’s edition of the event also saw the final of the Earth Rescue Challenge – Water Edition project, a nationwide competition for secondary school students. The competition consisted of conducting satellite observations of their region and proposing a solution for the protection and sustainable management of water resources based on the collected data. The competition was won by the team from the Local Government High School in Opoczno, whose winning solutions will be implemented in practice.

The jubilee edition of the ERC was also a meeting place for business representatives and investors interested in the space industry. This included CASSINI Matchmaking, an initiative dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs, start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises from the EU operating in the space sector. The project focuses on stimulating European innovation by connecting ambitious companies with investors and corporations. As part of the partnership with the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), individual mentoring consultations were held with representatives of the organization and the European Commission, aimed at increasing the chances of entrepreneurs to reach capital financing and establish partnerships with investors.

The organizer of the 10th edition of the European Rover Challenge is the European Space Foundation. The co-organizer of the 2024 edition is the AGH University of Krakow. The event is held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Science, the Minister of Education, the European Space Agency (ESA), the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), the Mayor of Kraków Aleksander Miszalski, the Marshal of the Małopolska Region Łukasz Smółka and the Polish Space Industry Association. The project is financed from the state budget, allocated by the Minister of Education and Science under the “Social Responsibility of Science II” Program. The event partners are CASSINI Matchmaking, the U.S. Consulate General in Krakow, Mars Society Poland, the Polish Space Professionals Association (PSPA), the Polish Space Agency, Explore Mars Europe, the Empiria i Wiedza Foundation, PRATT & WHITNEY, the Małopolska Regional Development Agency, MathWorks, JoinThe.Space, 3Dconnexion, Pyramid Games, Business in Malopolska, Pokojowy Patrol, the SpaceShip Foundation. The event is organized with the financial support of the Małopolska Region (Małopolska Innovative).

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The European Rover Challenge (ERC) is an annual international Mars robot competition, in which teams from all over the world take part. The competition, like the University Rover Challenge, belongs to the Rover Challenge Series – a league of the most prestigious robotic competitions in the world. ERC is also the largest robotic and space event in Europe addressed to the world of science and business, the new technologies sector and the general public. The competition has been organized since 2014 in Poland. More information about ERC can be found at www.roverchallenge.eu .

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