VIDEO: Watch Bower girls' satellite launch at Euro finals in Italy

Four students from Our Lady's Bower in Athlone have been completing an unusual 'Italian job' this week as they launched their own miniature satellite into the air in the city of Bologna!

Transition Year students Paula Davila, Ashling McCarthy, Aoife McDermott and Clara Rodriguez are competing in the finals of this year's European CanSat Competition, which got underway on Tuesday and concludes today. 

CanSat is a physics contest which involves students creating a satellite in the volume and shape of a soft drink can. The CanSat must then be launched, carry out a scientific experiment, and achieve a safe landing.

Yesterday on social media Our Lady's Bower shared this video of the students' impressive rocket launch in 37-degree temperatures in Bologna:

The Athlone team earned the right to represent Ireland at the event by winning the national final held in Portlaoise at the beginning of May. 

The Bower is not the first Athlone school to achieve success in the competition, as a team from the Marist College reached the Euopean finals and won it outright when it was held in the Azores islands last year.

This year's event has a total of 21 national teams taking part, predominantly from European countries but also including representatives from Canada and Japan.

The Athlone students travelled with teacher Niamh Moloney, and their mentor at the event is Francisco Vinas. Paul Mulvey of the Department of Engineering in Athlone IT is also present at the competition as an observer.