Tel Aviv University launched TAU-SAT1, its first scientific nano-satellite, on Saturday night. The launch was made from Virginia, USA, on a NASA ANTARES spacecraft. During its stay in space it will conduct a number of experiments, including measuring cosmic radiation around the Earth.
Tel Aviv University stated that “this is a very impressive scientific and technological achievement, since the nano-satellite was characterized, developed, assembled and tested within the Nano-Satellite Center on campus, a unique collaboration between the Ivy Walder Fleischman Faculty of Engineering and the Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences. For the exact sciences and the Center for Nuclear Research – Whistling “.
Construction of the satellite was completed about four months ago, so it was transferred to Japan for pre-flight testing at the Japanese space agency JAXA. About two weeks ago, he moved to the last station – the island of Wolfus, Virginia in the USA, where he “caught a ride” on a NASA supply spacecraft aimed at delivering food and equipment to the International Space Station (ISS).
“This is a university holiday,” said Prof. Colin Price, head of the Porter Department of Environmental Studies. He said, “Several years ago we set up the center for building small satellites the size of a ‘shoebox’, and to my delight we were able to prove that with proper planning, minimization and characterization of many technologies, small satellites can be built and within two years .
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Tel Aviv University Scientists Team with Nano Satellite (Photo: Tel Aviv University)Dr. Ofer Amrani, head of the Miniature Satellite Laboratory at Tel Aviv University, added: “This is a nano-satellite, or a tiny satellite, of the ‘cube satellite’ type,” he adds. “The dimensions of the satellite are 10 by 10 by 30 cm, like A box of shoes, and it weighs less than 2.5 kg. TAU-SAT1 is the first nano-satellite to be designed, built and tested independently in academia. “
Dr. Meir Ariel, director of the Center for Nano-Satellites at the University, explained that “it is known that there is an energy movement in space that originates from cosmic radiation. Our scientific mission is to monitor this radiation, and to measure the flux of particles and their products. It must be understood that the space environment is a hostile environment 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 make it possible to design means of protection for astronauts and space systems. For a whistling nuclear research that will also carry out the accompanying scientific research, “he concluded.
Another problem concerns the extraction of data collected by the TAU-SAT1 satellite. At an altitude of 400 km above sea level, the nano-satellite will orbit the earth at a dizzying speed of 27,600 km / h, or 7.6 km per second. At such a speed, the satellite will complete its orbit around the earth every 90 minutes. “To that end, we built a satellite station. Dedicated to the roof of an engineering building, “emphasizes Dr. Amrani.
He added that “Our station, which also serves as a radio amateur station, includes several antennas, and an automated automated control system. When the TAU-SAT1 passes ‘over’ the State of Israel, ie within a radius of several thousand km from the reception station of the ground station, The satellite trajectory will be monitored and a data transmission process will be performed between the satellite and the station. Such suits occur about four times a day, and each lasts less than 10 minutes. In addition to its scientific mission, the satellite will also serve as a space relay for radio-loving communities around the world. Overall, the satellite is expected to be active for several months. “Since it has no engine, its trajectory will fade over time as a result of an atmospheric drag – and its end will burn in the atmosphere and return to us like stardust.”
The researchers’ next destination is the TAU-SAT2 satellite. “We built the TAU-SAT1 satellite infrastructure on our own – from the clean rooms, through the various test facilities, such as the thermal vacuum chamber, to the reception and transmission station we installed on the roof. Now that the infrastructure is ready, we approach TAU-SAT2 development. “A student from any faculty at Tel Aviv University, or outside it, will be able to plan and launch experiments into space in the future – even without being an expert in the field of space,” they concluded.