Teaching remote sensing in higher education has been traditionally restricted in
lecture and computer-aided laboratory activities. This paper presents and evaluates an engaging
inquiry-based educational experiment. The experiment was incorporated in an introductory remote
sensing undergraduate course to bridge the gap between theory and application of relevant
technology. During this semester-long experiment, titled ‘ESF goes to space’, students designed,
built, launched and successfully acquired imagery from the upper stratospheric parts
(approximately 27 000 m). Replication guidelines are presented and a post-evaluation discusses
benefits and limitations for students, instructors and university