Thestias Project

The Pollux, a multidisciplinary junior initiative from the University of Coimbra, launched a stratospheric balloon, named Thestias, at the Bissaya Barreto Municipal Aerodrome (40°09'24"N 008°28'05.10"W) at 10:30am on December 21, 2022.

The stratospheric balloon's payload is entirely from Pollux and will measure, in real-time, atmospheric temperature changes, location, horizontal and vertical accelerations, and pressure changes based on altitude during the flight.

The Thestias project followed international rules only for space (European Cooperation for Space Standardization) and went through several review moments that were considered of high relevance for its approval.

The team was divided into 5 control work packages, work groups that coordinate and execute the project, made up of students not only from the Faculty of Sciences and Technologies but also from the Faculty of Law.

The Pollux Association - Space Technologies is a junior initiative based at the Faculty of Sciences and Technologies of the University of Coimbra, with members from the Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Law, and Faculty of Sciences and Technologies.

The emergence of the junior initiative, which develops space projects of a scientific and technological nature, stems from the recognition of the lack of specific foundational learning to be accomplished by newly graduates entering the job market.