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On 15 September the European Space Agency (ESA) will be launching a special competition for secondary school students to explore the high-energy universe through the use of ESA's Integral gamma-ray observatory.

Students wishing to enter will be challenged to take on the roles of the engineers, scientists and astronomers whose ingenuity and skills enabled the development of a space mission that studies some of the most violent and exotic processes in our dynamic Universe. To enter the competition students will be asked to choose from one of the following four projects to undertake:

• Project 1: Observe - In this project students will use their own small telescopes to observations of the variable companion stars in high-energy binary systems. Students can then compare their own observations with data taken by the optical telescope on the Integral space observatory.
• Project 2: Research - For this project students will use Integral observations of the dynamic centre of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, to determine which exotic high-energy sources are present.
• Project 3: Design - Working in small teams students will design their own mission to investigate the most powerful phenomena in the Universe. In this project students will look at every aspect of planning a space mission, including, determining the science aims of the mission and designing the spacecraft and scientific payload.
• Project 4: Build - Students undertaking this project will build a scale-model of the Integral spacecraft using materials of their choice.

For nearly 10 years the gamma-ray detecting eyes of the Integral space observatory have been watching an impressive cosmic light show, observing some of the most energetic phenomena in the Universe, such as: black holes devouring matter, colossal explosions known as gamma-ray bursts, and supernova explosions - the swan-song of a giant star. This competition forms part of the celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of Integral. By participating students will explore the extreme and ever-changing Universe with tools and techniques used in real research.

A number of great prizes will be on offer, including a chance for students to attend and present their work at the 9th Integral science workshop in Paris, France. The competition will run until March 2012.

Further information will be available on the ESA website from the 15 September onwards.