The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology presented in Lagoa, São Miguel, the first regional CANSAT competition, an initiative sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA) that will be held on Santa Maria next year.

Speaking on the sidelines of a visit to EXPOLAB, Fausto Brito e Abreu also revealed that the Regional Government will support the application submitted by the Azores to the organisation of the European CANSAT competition in 2016. The government added that "the Azores have shown their capacity and motivation to host a European competition in this area."

CANSAT is a competition targeted at secondary school students, whose main goal is the construction, configuration and launching of mini-satellite in the size of a soda can.

Fausto Brito e Abreu emphasised that the creation of this regional programme will stimulate the interest of Azorean youngsters in Science and Technology, being fields that can play a major role in the development of the Region.

"Due to its geographic location, the Azores have a special potential for the implementation of space technologies and the development of scientific projects or even for business opportunities in this field," said the government official.

All schools in the archipelago interested in participating may submit their application until November. The final phase of CANSAT Açores will be held on the island of Santa Maria in April 2015.

This is the third time that regional schools take part in a European project. A team from Santa Maria Basic Education and Secondary School, composed of five students and two teachers, was selected by ESA to represent Portugal at the final of CANSAT 2012, which took place in Norway in April 2013.

The project for the construction of the mini-satellite by students ranked 3rd place among the 14 participating teams.

The Regional Secretariat for the Sea, Science and Technology marked the World Space Week with several initiatives: the presentation of the first CANSAT Açores competition, the visit to ESA stations and to the radio telescope of the Atlantic Network of Geodynamical and Space Stations (RAEGE) that took place on Santa Maria last Thursday, and the visit to Santana Astronomical Observatory, scheduled for Saturday.

Established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1999, the World Space Week recalls the importance that science and space technology had - and still have - in the life of humanity.

The launch of Sputnik I, the first Earth satellite built by man, on October 4, 1957 and the signing of the now Outer Space Treaty by UN members on October 10, 1967 are the dates that have determined this week as the World Space Week.