March 2, 2026

VENUS PROBE DROP: ETH ZURICH SPACE SYSTEMS STUDENTS BUILD AND FLY THEIR FIRST MISSION

In February 2025, first-semester students of ETH Zurich's Master in Space Systems programme successfully designed, built, and launched five atmospheric probe payloads as part of the programme's Venus Probe Drop — a hands-on mission simulating an atmospheric exploration of Venus.

The probes were small, can-sized satellites known as CanSats, each equipped with a microphone. Dropped from an aircraft over the Dübendorf military airfield, the CanSats glided to the ground under parachutes, recording ground explosions that simulated volcanic eruptions on Venus during their descent. The scientific goal: to determine whether satellites could detect and locate volcanic eruptions using acoustic signals — a genuinely open research question with direct relevance to future planetary missions.

Venus presents an extreme challenge for space probes. Its intense temperatures, crushing atmospheric pressure, and corrosive chemistry make surface landing missions virtually impossible. Acoustic sensing from descending probes offers a potential pathway to capturing data about its geological activity and atmospheric evolution.

A COMPLETE ENGINEERING LIFECYCLE IN EIGHT WEEKS

In just eight weeks, students worked through the full arc of a space mission: three weeks of requirements definition, system design, and test planning, followed by hardware implementation and formal verification. Two weeks before the drop, the probes underwent a rigorous acceptance review with strict pass criteria to ensure the safety of the aircraft and everyone on the ground.

Testing combined engineering discipline with ingenuity — parachute trials at Flugplatz Birrfeld, hardware development at Innovationspark Zürich, and additional drop tests in the field. The final drop took place at Dübendorf with support from the Swiss Air Force, using a historic military aircraft provided by Fliegermuseum Altenrhein.

“The goal of this educational project was to determine whether satellites could detect and locate volcanic eruptions using acoustic signals,” said Simon Stähler, Director of the Space Master’s programme.

MENTORSHIP AT THE HEART OF THE PROGRAMME

Second-year students played a central coaching role throughout, guiding their junior peers through design decisions, test campaigns, and the pressures of a real launch deadline. Among those recognised for their contributions: Tobias Kränzlin, Benedikt Pohl, Daniel Schmid, Jonas Isler, Audrey Aebi, and Robin Ferrella.

The Venus Probe Drop is not a capstone — it is a beginning. Students entering the Master in Space Systems do so knowing that by the end of their first semester, they will have built and flown hardware.

🔗 Read the ETH Zurich news article: https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2025/02/eth-students-simulate-venus-mission.html