History is in the making for a student team in the Department of Aerospace Engineering’s Make To Innovate ( M: 2: I ) program.
CySAT-1, a cube satellite ( CubeSat ) M: 2: I project, is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center on a trip to the International Space Station ( ISS) August 3 at 10: 28 a. m. It will be part of the NASA Commercial Resupply Mission NG-21. As part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative ( CSLI), the student-created and constructed CubeSat will launch into space. The initiative represents a major milestone for the learners, M: 2: I and the college.
The job has a long story, beginning some years earlier with the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, a NASA-sponsored organization that offers opportunities and outreach to individuals interested in joining NASA programs. Despite initial issues, CySAT-1 gained momentum after a powerful plan to NASA, which was assisted by an Iowa State graduate working at the company. The CySAT-1 job has become part of the school’s M: 2: I training, providing students with devoted occasion for lab work and discussions with officials.
Thoroughly built by individuals: CySAT-1 stands out
” Normally, students do n’t get the ability to design, build, and fly space hardware. This was an extraordinary opportunity”, said faculty assistant Matthew Nelson. While different institutions have launched CubeSats, Iowa State’s job stands out substantially for being completely student-built. We give kids a lot of choice when it comes to choosing their tasks. We have clubs that concentrate on particular electronics and structure-related topics, giving students the freedom to pick their areas of interest, Nelson explained.
Numerous students have contributed to the project and played various crucial roles in the satellite’s victory. Alexis Locati served one quarter as a team member and three semesters as the project director for CySat-1 from September 2022 to May 2024.
Locati shared that from an engineering standpoint, she primarily worked on the structural design and analysis, AI&, T ( assembly, integration, and testing ), and all associated documentation and logistics involving their stakeholders. She created detailed routines and plans for the job and team from the perspective of management, making sure that everyone adhered to them.
Over the past month, both Alexis and other students worked hard to design components, assimilate the knowledge cargo, and maintain the dish met all important criteria. With contributions from all members, the team was able to get the satellite to a flight-ready state. After so much work, it was a privilege for me to be a part of this trip, being the last person to handle CySat-1 before it orbits space. It was a fantastic way to wrap up my semester, and it was also a fantastic achievement in terms of both academically and professionally, Locati said.
Payload is part of a master’s degree thesis
All former and current team members celebrate CySAT-1, and Nelson, whose master’s thesis work serves as the foundation for the science payload, celebrates his personal accomplishment. Despite some performance loss, Nelson’s thesis managed to keep the radiometer operational while retaining frequency information. The payload was based on this method, which provided the necessary calculations and experimental validation.
Due to fewer licensing requirements and no transmission, students initially considered using a more sophisticated synthetic aperture radar. The difficulty was in achieving the CubeSat’s radiometer’s miniaturization, which was accomplished through some performance compromises, particularly with the antenna. ” Knowing that my thesis work will go up there and, if everything works, will be collecting data, is incredibly fulfilling”, Nelson shared.
Recently, the team traveled to Houston, Texas to deliver CySAT-1 for integration with the launch vehicle. Final checks were carried out by Nanoracks, a NASA-contracted company that provides a spaceport for small research payloads created for satellites to make sure everything was secure and ready for deployment. With all tests passed, CySAT-1 is now ready for final steps to prepare it for space. The astronauts will deploy the satellite once it is on the ISS, following its ISS’s orbit until it eventually disintegrates.
The launch will take place on August 3 and will be coordinated by the team and advisors.