One of our most important projects in the field of space education and outreach has been the design of an Educational Plan proposal for the Spanish Space Agency (AEE).
The project presented a particularly exciting challenge: to design from the ground up a way of bringing the activities, missions, science and technologies of the Spanish space sector closer to students of different ages through an educational programme that was modern, practical, technology-driven and, above all, scalable.
The work began with the development of a four-month pilot Educational Plan, designed for the period from March to June 2025. We subsequently developed a full one-year proposal, expanding the original concept into an educational programme designed for continuity and future growth.
From space to the classroom
The central idea behind the project was that students should not simply hear about space. We wanted them to experience it.
We therefore proposed a methodology based on in-person workshops, hands-on activities, interactive experiences and visits to the Spanish Space Agency’s own facilities, connecting what students learn in the classroom with the real work being carried out in the space sector.
Technology played a fundamental role.
The Plan included the use and development of virtual and augmented reality experiences, 3D printing and prototyping, robotics, electronics, satellite construction, simulations and scale models of space missions.
All of this would be supported by a digital platform where teachers and students could access content, tutorials, simulations and other educational resources.
The aim was not simply to talk about science, but to use the same disciplines and technologies that are part of the space sector to learn science.
Exploring the main areas of the space sector
Another challenge was defining what students should learn about the space sector.
The programme was structured around eight major areas of knowledge:
- Space science
- Human spaceflight
- Space exploration
- Earth observation
- Launchers
- Navigation
- Space operations
- Technology and telecommunications
This allowed us to highlight something we consider particularly important: space is about much more than astronauts and rockets.
Behind every space mission there are scientists, engineers, software developers, telecommunications specialists, operations experts, biologists, geologists, navigation specialists and professionals from many other disciplines.
A programme designed to grow
From the outset, the pilot was designed around specific and measurable objectives.
These included initially training a team of at least four educators and two specialised coordinators, reaching a minimum of 2,000 participants, providing classrooms with STEAM resources, developing a digital educational platform and subsequently measuring the impact of the programme.
The detailed planning went even further, with an estimated reach of approximately 2,400 participants.
A schedule was designed to bring activities to Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Huelva, Jaén, Granada, Almería and Málaga, combining workshops in educational centres with activities and visits to the Spanish Space Agency’s facilities.
But the intention was never for the initiative to end with the pilot.
From its conception, the programme was designed to grow progressively and reach additional educational levels, schools and regions.
Although the pilot focused particularly on secondary school students and activities for the general public, the overall approach envisioned a much broader educational pathway, from Early Childhood Education through to University.
Space education through experience
One of the ideas we wanted to introduce was that an educational activity related to space should also be an experience that is difficult to forget.
Virtual reality, augmented reality, robotics, electronics, 3D prototyping, scale models and hands-on activities can transform scientific and technological concepts that may initially appear complex into much more accessible experiences.
The Plan even proposed that students develop their own space exploration projects, which could then be reviewed by experts and professionals from the space sector, who would provide feedback.
The pilot also included a competition to select the best projects created by students.
In this way, students would no longer be just spectators; they would also become creators.
Measuring in order to improve
Designing an educational programme of this scale requires more than simply creating good workshops.
For this reason, an important part of the Plan was dedicated to establishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to understand what was working and identify areas for improvement.
The proposed evaluation system included the number of participating students and teachers, workshops delivered, use of educational resources, access to the digital platform, projects developed, attendance, satisfaction, interest generated in STEAM disciplines, and feedback from teachers and space-sector professionals.
The objective was simple: to learn from every activity in order to improve the next one.
For the same reason, we proposed applying an Agile methodology to the development of the programme, working in short cycles that would allow feedback from students, teachers and space-sector professionals to be continuously incorporated.
From a four-month pilot to a one-year Educational Plan
The initial four-month project was conceived as a first step.
Once the pilot was completed, the approach included analysing the results, comparing them with the established objectives and producing recommendations for future activities and for the development of an annual Plan.
We subsequently developed a one-year Educational Plan proposal, expanding the initial approach and exploring how the activities could become part of a continuous programme.
This second phase particularly reflects our philosophy of space education: not as a series of isolated activities, but as a programme capable of evolving, measuring its results, incorporating new technologies and growing over time.
More than a decade creating space education
This project did not start from scratch.
For many years, we have worked on developing activities, content and experiences designed to bring science and space exploration closer to children, young people and families.
Projects such as Viaje Interplanetario and Astronauta LiLi have allowed us to experiment with different ways of explaining scientific and technological concepts and, above all, have reinforced something we consider fundamental:
To inspire scientific vocations, you first have to inspire curiosity.
Over the years, we have used workshops, experiments, robotics, virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D printing, scale models, audiovisual content and in-person activities to transform concepts that may initially seem difficult into accessible, practical and engaging experiences.
All this accumulated experience was particularly valuable when considering how an educational programme for the Spanish Space Agency could be structured.
Viaje Interplanetario:
www.viajeinterplanetario.com
Astronauta LiLi:
www.astronautalili.com
Inspiring the next generation of Spain’s space sector
Spain is entering a new stage in its space history, and we believe that education must be a fundamental part of it.
For us, this commitment is nothing new. Since 2007, we have been working on educational, scientific outreach and space outreach projects, developing new ways to bring science, engineering, technology and space exploration closer to students of all ages.
Over the years, we have had the opportunity to lead and develop educational projects for the European Space Agency (ESA), collaborate with scientific institutions such as the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and work on educational initiatives related to NASA.
Education is also a fundamental part of ESA’s efforts to prepare new generations and encourage interest in STEM disciplines.
Among these experiences is our work related to the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex at Robledo de Chavela, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, as well as our participation in PARTNeR (Proyecto Académico con el Radio Telescopio de NASA en Robledo), an educational initiative that enabled a 34-metre radio telescope to be used to bring radio astronomy closer to universities, secondary schools and science outreach centres.
NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
PARTNeR – NASA Radio Telescope Educational Project at Robledo
CSIC – Spanish National Research Council
ESA – European Space Agency
ESA Education
Almost two decades of accumulated experience have taught us something essential: space education is not only about explaining what we are doing in space today; it is about inspiring the people who will make tomorrow’s achievements possible.
A space agency does not only develop and coordinate activities involving satellites, science, exploration, navigation, Earth observation and new technologies. It also has the opportunity to bring all this knowledge closer to society and help students discover that behind every space mission there is an enormous ecosystem of science, engineering, technology and professional opportunities that they could one day become part of.
For us, working on the design of an Educational Plan proposal for the Spanish Space Agency therefore represents the natural continuation of many years dedicated to space education: bringing the experience accumulated through our work with ESA, CSIC, NASA and other scientific and technological institutions into a programme specifically designed to connect the Spanish space sector with new generations.
Because educating people about space also means building the future of space.
It means turning a mission into an experiment, a satellite into a workshop, a question into knowledge and a technology into a potential vocation.
And perhaps, in a few years’ time, one of the students who today discovers how a satellite works, programmes a robot, carries out a radio astronomy observation or takes part in a space exploration activity will be the person who tomorrow designs, builds, programmes, operates or even leads one of Spain’s future space missions.