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Student teams in the High Bay at ESTEC
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Fly Your Satellite! expands with two new pilot programmes: Design Booster and Test Opportunities

09/05/2022 2358 views 18 likes
ESA / Education / CubeSats - Fly Your Satellite!

In brief

ESA Education’s Fly Your Satellite! is a world-class initiative that helps university students to design, build, and fly fully-functional CubeSats into space. The programme is now expanding with two exciting new strands, providing further life-changing opportunities to students.

In-depth

Fly Your Satellite! Design Booster

CubeSat team discussing the CubeSat design with an ESA specialist
CubeSat team discussing the CubeSat design with an ESA specialist

Student teams that have a preliminary design for their 1-, 2-, 3-, or 6-unit CubeSat, and want to consolidate their design with support from ESA, will be very interested in Design Booster!

This 18-month programme will see selected teams be trained in running analyses and performing trade-offs to make important design choices for their mission. ESA experts will be on-hand to provide valuable feedback and help consolidate designs, and there may even be the opportunity to perform environmental test campaigns on subsystems, making use of the dedicated CubeSat Support Facility in ESEC (Belgium).

Please visit the Design Booster webpage if you would like to know more, and to apply.

ESA Education are running information sessions for potential applicants, including the chance to ask questions. Please register here.

Fly Your Satellite! Test Opportunities

EIRSAT-1 team with Engineering Qualification Model in TVAC
EIRSAT-1 team with Engineering Qualification Model in TVAC

Teams that have already assembled their hardware will be pleased to learn of Test Opportunities, which gives the chance to verify equipment, payloads, experiments, or entire nanosatellites before their trip to space.

Making use of superb facilities at the CubeSat Support Facility in ESEC (Belgium), selected teams will receive support for the preparation and execution of a dedicated test campaign. Their hardware will be put through its paces using equipment including a Thermal Vacuum Chamber, Thermal Oven, and Electrodynamic Shaker, simulating the harsh environment experienced during launch and in orbit.

The Test Opportunities webpage contains more details about the available test windows, milestones, and application procedure.

ESA Education are running information sessions for potential applicants, including the chance to ask questions. Please register here.

Interested groups and individuals are encouraged to regularly check the ESA Education website for updates. For specific enquiries, please contact cubesats@esa.int.