Canadian – Norwegian Student Exchange & Rocket Program

Andøya Rocket Range and The University of Oslo has initiated a Norwegian-Canadian rocket cooperation intended for college and university students. The cooperation will result in student exchanges between Norway and Canada and includes rocket launches from Andøya.

Both Norway and Canada find studies of the upper atmosphere in the northern light zone and polar region essential for climate and environmental studies. These studies provide practical and relevant information in the topics space weather and GPS navigation.

10-year programme

CaNoRock (Canada-Norway Student Rocket Programme) are now being planned as a bilateral student exchange/ rocket programme which stretches over a period of 10 years. During this programme, which has been initiated by Andøya Rocket Range (ARR) and the University of Oslo (UiO), rockets are to be launched from Andøya every year thus resulting in student exercises. The payloads for these rockets are to be built by students and scientists from the two participating countries. Simultaneously the students can choose among relevant courses in the fields of physics and technology at the universities involved.

Today CaNoRock is being developed by an international group consisting of representatives from the universities in Alberta, Calgary, Saskatchewan, UiO and ARR/NAROM. The project has raised a big interest both in Canada and Norway.

Science and technology in focus

It is going to be student programme based on science, an important contribution to “The High North Commitment” when it comes to innovation, development of knowledge and recruiting to the knowledge-based industry in the region. The start of the CaNoRock is simultaneously to the increased intensity of sunspot cycle 24 and gives increased chances for sun storms and thus breakdowns of navigation and communication systems under the flaring northern lights. It is becoming a greater challenge to ensure safe systems as the polar ocean opens for economical exploitation.

The interest for the project has been overwhelming in both countries. Worth to mention is the fact that the universities in Alberta and Calgary both had 50 applications for 4 available student spaces in Canada to the first CaNoRock student rocket from Andøya in November 2009. “CaNoRock 1″ was a conducted as a test before the project officially starts in 2011. This in agreement with the Canadian Space Agency og the Norwegian Space Centre.

Proposed Launch Program