Belgium's
most innovative and sustainable
student rocketry team
AnTARES is a team of 30+ students from Ghent pushing the boundaries of sustainable rocket engineering. In October 2026, we compete at the European Rocketry Challenge in Portugal.
Who are we?
Founded at Ghent University, AnTARES brings together over 30 students from engineering, computer science, and beyond, united by a single objective: design, build, and launch Belgium's most advanced student-built rocket at the European Rocketry Challenge 2026.
We are not just building rockets. We are building a new standard for what Belgian students can achieve in aerospace, with sustainability at the core of everything we engineer.
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Members
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Fields of study
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Engineering teams
2000
Founded
Trusted by leading companies
Hands-on experience
At AnTARES, you do not simulate rocket science in a classroom. You practice it across eight specialized sub-teams, each responsible for a distinct part of a vehicle that will physically leave the ground in October 2026. The propulsion system has to ignite. The structure has to hold. The recovery system has to work. The rocket flies, or it does not.
Meet the team
30+ students from every corner of Ghent University, united by one mission.
The road
to launch
From late-night meetings in borrowed rooms to a flight-ready rocket on the rail in Portugal. Scroll down and follow the trajectory.
- 2023Team
Lift-off on paper
A handful of Ghent students start meeting in empty auditoriums and libraries with one goal: build a rocket and fly it at EuRoC.
- Mid 2025Team
AnTARES vzw
New leadership takes the helm and AnTARES is officially registered as a non-profit. Months later, the City of Ghent gives us a workshop to call our own.
- 2025 – 2026Research
Betting on flax
Lab tests and simulations show a rocket airframe made entirely of flax-fibre bio-composite is feasible. The idea earns us third place at the Bio-based Innovation Student Challenge Belgium.
- May 2026Scorpion I
Scorpion I unveiled
Our first finished rocket goes on show at a major tech fair in Ghent, next to the 6 m launch tower we designed and welded ourselves.
- Summer 2026Scorpion Mini
Plan B takes flight
A wildfire at the launch site postpones Scorpion I. Instead we build the testbed Scorpion Mini from spare parts and fly it in Belgium, flight-proving the flight computer and recovery system for Scorpion II.
- Sep 2026Scorpion II
Tested & documented
Pop tests, thermal tests and CO₂ ejection tests are completed, and the Scorpion II technical report is submitted to EuRoC.
- 15–22 Oct 2026Scorpion II
EuRoC 2026
Scorpion II launches from Santa Margarida, Portugal, aiming for an apogee of 3 km.
- NextFuture
Beyond Scorpion II
Project 02 · Flagship
Scorpion II
Our entry for the European Rocketry Challenge 2026. A single-stage rocket built around a bio-based composite airframe, flying a dual-parachute recovery system, in-house avionics and a scientific payload. The mission: fly to 3 km, bring it home safely, and prove that sustainable rocketry doesn't compromise on performance.
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Target apogee
3 km COTS class
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Peak velocity
~1060 km/h
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Motor burn
Aerotech L2500ST
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Average thrust
4668 Ns total impulse
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Lift-off mass
Fully loaded
0.00m
Length
10 cm diameter
Flax-fibre airframe
Hull, couplers, fins and nosecone are woven flax with a plant-based bio-epoxy — a first on the European high-power launch scene.
In-house flight computer
Our own SRAD flight computer detects launch and apogee, paired with a commercial CATS Vega for full redundancy.
CO₂ recovery
A custom CO₂ ejection system pops the drogue at apogee; the main parachute opens at 430 m.
BIO-SAVIOR payload
A camera and sensors film a blood analogue sloshing in flight, studying how launch loads affect blood-like fluids.
Flight plan
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Lift-off
38.5 m/s off the rail
T+1.9s
Burnout
295 m/s at 280 m
T+24.2s
Apogee
~3000 m · drogue out
T+73s
Main chute
430 m · slows to 5 m/s
T+108s
Touch-down
Buzzer on, go find it
Blogs
Read our latest build updates, engineering insights, and stories from the team.