Israel’s first university-made nanosatellite launches into space
By Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman, Jerusalem Post, February 20, 2021
Space launch (illustrative photo - credit: NASA)
Israel’s first nanosatellite to be completely designed, developed,
assembled and tested by an Israeli university launched into space on
Saturday night, Tel Aviv University shared.
TAU-SAT1 took off right on time at 7:36 p.m. Israel time from the NASA launch facility in Virginia.
Watch here:
“We have now joined the ‘Civil Space Revolution,’ called New
Space, in which, unlike the Old Space, not only giant companies with
huge budgets and large teams of engineers can build and launch
satellites,” said Prof. Colin Price, head of the Porter Department of
Environmental Studies at TAU.
“We were able to prove that with the right
planning, miniaturization and modulation of many technologies, small
satellites can be built and launched into space within two years by
students, at a fraction of the budget needed in the Old Space.”
TAU-SAT1
was completed about four months ago. It was then sent to Japan for
pre-flight testing at the JAXA space agency. It arrived in Virginia two
weeks ago. The nanosatellite, which is only 10 by 10 by 30 cm. and
weighs less than 2.5 kg., entered space on a NASA resupply spacecraft
destined for the International Space Station.
The
nanosatellite is expected to orbit at an altitude of 400 kilometers
above sea level at what the university described as a “dizzying speed”
of 27,600 kph, or 7.6 km. per second. Every 90 minutes it will complete
an orbit around Earth.
TAU-SAT1 (Credit: Tel Aviv University)TAU-SAT1 is meant to conduct several experiments while in orbit, including the measurement of cosmic radiation around the earth.
“Our
scientific task is to monitor this radiation, and to measure the flux
of these particles and their products,” explained Dr. Meir Ariel,
director of TAU’s Center for Nanosatellites.
“It should be understood
that space is a hostile environment, not only for humans but also for
electronic systems. When these particles hit astronauts or electronic
equipment in space, they can cause significant damage. The scientific
information collected by our satellite will enable the design of
protective means for astronauts and space systems.”
To
collect the data, the school built a satellite station on the roof of
its engineering building. When TAU-SAT1 passes over Israel within a
radius of 1,000 km. from the station’s receiving range, the antennas
will track the satellite’s orbit and a process of data transmission will
occur between the satellite and the station.
According
to Dr. Ofer Amrani, head of Tel Aviv University’s Miniature Satellite
Lab, these “transmissions” will take place about four times a day for
less than 10 minutes at a time.
“Because
it has no engine, the nanosatellite’s trajectory will fade over time as
a result of atmospheric drag – and eventually it will burn up in the
atmosphere and come back to us as stardust,” Amrani said.
Tel Aviv University researchers (Credit: Tel Aviv University)
He
added that “We built the infrastructure for developing TAU-SAT1 on our
own – from the clean rooms, through the various testing facilities such
as the thermal vacuum chamber, to the receiving and transmission station
we placed on the roof.”
TAU said that its researchers are already aiming to design another nanosatellite: TAU-SAT2.
“The
idea is that any researcher and any student, from any school at Tel
Aviv University, or outside of it, will be able to plan and launch
experiments into space in the future – even without being an expert on
space,” Amrani further explained.
TAU launches nano-satellite into space - Prof. Colin Price, ILTV Israel News, Feb 21, 2021
😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇
In my days it was Mammoth satellites that we launched into space using giant catapults
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| In my days it was Mammoth satellites that we launched into space using giant catapults |
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