Space education in Russia

Orbicraft

Center for space education: from school physics to satellite launches.

A community of professionals who have been in love with space since childhood. Our main expertise is practical pedagogy: developing effective and up-to-date educational modules for secondary schools and higher education.

Our mission: To make space visual and understandable for schoolchildren, and most importantly – real.

Orbit Simulator

The "Orbit" simulator is a website where you can design and launch spacecraft under conditions close to real ones. It contains a series of increasingly complex missions, including creating landers for planets of the solar system and their exploration, as well as real private spaceflight tasks in Earth orbit. For construction, it uses an external database of real existing devices.

VK “Education of the Future”

Official group of the “Education of the Future” company. Spaceflight in schools and universities: news on space contests and project sessions, teacher courses, NTI Olympiad, “On Duty for the Planet” program, World Skills “Space Systems Engineering” and much more.

“Orbit” Contest

The “Orbit – Applied Space Systems” contest within the “On Duty for the Planet” program is dedicated to developing spacecraft payloads – the very reason they are launched into space.

YouTube “Education of the Future”

Education of the Future – educational materials on working with the “Introsat” kit and the space engineering lab for teachers, as well as reports from Olympiads and contests.

Mentor Courses

Mentor courses – a detailed guide on working with the space engineering lab, from the introductory course for the “Orbit – Applied Systems” contest to using GMAT and programming microcontrollers.

National Technology Olympiad

Team engineering competitions for schoolchildren and students. A multi-level project that brings together people from different backgrounds who want and are able to solve Russia’s priority technological challenges.

Analysis of Space Images and Geospatial Data

This track focuses on collecting and processing satellite images of Earth’s surface. Physical and economic geography, understanding natural and anthropogenic landscapes, ecosystem dynamics.

Aerospace Systems

Participants create a prototype of a payload for a small rover, practice programming robots, radio engineering, wireless communications, 3D modeling, and circuit design. The practical experience helps them navigate a wide range of robotics fields applicable both in space and on Earth.

On Duty for the Planet

A program combining space competitions and projects for schoolchildren and students.

Winners go to the Sirius Education Center for a real “space shift,” working on real projects, meeting cosmonauts, and becoming young heroes of modern Russian spaceflight.

Aerospace Engineering School

A Russian youth educational project organizing championships for school and student teams in spacecraft and rocket design, while learning principles of spacecraft operation, rockets, data transmission, and modern design, ballistics, and mechanics methods.

Summer Space School

A multi-day educational program for all ages using virtual observatory approaches and mission control simulations to explore topics in astronautics, astrophysics, space engineering, space medicine, and science journalism.

Abitu.Net

A social network for schoolchildren with educational opportunities. Created to connect students, teachers, and schools.

It offers current Olympiads (e.g., MIPT Aerospace Olympiad), courses in physics, math, programming, biology, and prep materials for national exams.

Space-π

Space-π connects schoolchildren and students with space companies and universities. The project provides opportunities to conduct their own experiment in orbit and learn about space engineering careers before higher education. Programs are developed with specialists – teachers, designers, programmers – those who build satellites and ground stations.

Kruzhok Movement

The “Kruzhok Movement” is a nationwide community of technical creativity enthusiasts, based on horizontal connections between people, ideas, and resources.

Altair

The regional center “Altair” identifies and supports gifted children in science, sports, and arts.

“Altair” is the ambassador of the All-Russian competition of scientific and technological projects “Big Challenges” in the Novosibirsk region.

Vzlyot

The “Vzlyot” educational center identifies, supports, and develops talents among children and youth in the Moscow region. It is part of the E. M. Primakov Gymnasium and covers multiple directions.

Orion

The “Orion” educational center provides supplementary education in the Voronezh region, organizes Olympiads, conferences, contests, and festivals for students; prepares specialized shifts in the “Solnyshko v Repnom” gifted children’s center, and develops teacher training programs.

Stepik

Education of the Future/Modern Astronautics – a course on the basics of designing automatic spacecraft for near-Earth orbit. You will learn why satellites are used, what orbits they fly in, how costs are calculated, and how their main subsystems are designed. By the end, you will be able to calculate key parameters and get a foundation for further studies in astronautics.

Stepik

Education of the Future / Designing Space Technology – taught by engineers from the Russian space industry, covering system design for:

1. Spacecraft body
2. Cable network
3. Rocket engines and fuel tanks
4. Antennas and waveguides
5. Chemical batteries
6. Solar panels
7. Thermal control system
8. Attitude and stabilization system

Key to Launch

“Key to Launch. Space for Kids” is a space for self-education and career choice in the space industry. It helps children not only learn about space jobs but also take part in educational and career projects by Roscosmos: profile shifts, contests, and more.

World Space Week

Space cinema – a curated selection of films (feature, documentary, animated, international) with descriptions and links to open sources.

YouTube “Summer Space School”

Lectures from industry experts, scientists, and researchers at the Summer Space School.

YouTube “Radio Amateurs TV”

A channel that explains electronics and radio in simple terms. For beginners – step-by-step lessons on electronics from scratch.

“CosmoPilgrims” Channel

CosmoPilgrims – organizes excursions and trips to demo halls, museums, and space-related landmarks.

Art Project “We Believe in Space”

A project dedicated to key milestones in space exploration: first spacecraft, planetary missions, and landings.

YouTube “UNITED BY SPACE”

An educational-entertainment channel about space with interviews of Olympiad participants, industry experts, and cosmonauts, along with contests and games.