The Rocket Licensing Challenge: can you identify the scents of space?

Rocket and The European Space Agency ask you to sniff out our solar system at BLE

The Rocket Licensing Challenge is back at BLE stand A205 – and this year’s challenge is truly out of this world.

Rocket Licensing and the European Space Agency (ESA) are asking you to identify three heavenly bodies based on their smell.

How? Well, scientists have revealed what space smells like. The three Rocket Licensing Challenge examples are all based on what we know based on astronauts’ experience and the chemical composition of various celestial bodies.

Three scents in three corked test tubes represent three such bodies: they could be planets, stars, gas clouds, asteroids or comets.

Come to stand A205, take a sniff and then guess where the smell comes from. You’ll get some help – it’s a big solar system, after all – but not too much.

Rocket will give you a list of ten options. The winner will be the person who guesses the three answers correctly – but get your space knowledge ready; there may have to be a tiebreaker – with the magnificent Rocket Challenge Cup going to the winner!

You can’t miss The Rocket Licensing Challenge. Just look for Rocket representatives in a lab coat with a rack of test tubes and clip board.

But get there early! The event takes place on the first day of BLE. The winner will be announced first thing on Thursday.

And don’t forget to check out the European Space Agency (ESA), which offers a unique opportunity to share the excitement of space and space science with a real badge of authority and an exclusive range of assets. The brand is supported by a new style guide and with the 50th anniversary celebrations in 2025 and new launches and missions the brand will continue to build momentum.

The range of licensed products already includes apparel, model launchers and limited edition prints – and more partner announcements will be made very shortly.

Charlie Donaldson, Joint Managing Director of Rocket Licensing, says: “We have done some kind of game or activity almost every year of the show since we started exhibiting in 2007 but this is undoubtedly the most out of this world! It’s also a lot of fun – but based on some very sound science. Come to stand A205 on day one and find out more!”