Launch campaign started: CubeSats getting ready for Ariane 6 lift-off

The ultimate milestone of the project—launching into space—is rapidly approaching for the 3Cat-4 and ISTSat-1 CubeSats. Scheduled to fly onboard Ariane 6’s inaugural flight, the student developer teams travelled to Kourou,French Guiana in May to participate in the integration of their CubeSats in their launch vehicle.

The CubeSats arrived to the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) stowed in their orbital deployer, after being integrated at Exolaunch’s facility in Berlin a few weeks earlier. Inside the cleanroom, the launch vehicle adapter was waiting for all the payloads to be installed. 

This was the first visit for the students to a spaceport and in a launch campaign, so there was a lot for them to absorb. Upon arrival at CSG, the teams underwent specific safety training for on-site visits to allow them to work inside the payload preparation complex. Next, they attended the daily meeting - the moment where all campaign actors report on ongoing and planned activities. Key representatives, including the payload teams, Mission Director, Program Director, Facility and Safety Managers, get together once per day to ensure smooth coordination and timely decision-making.

The CubeSat teams then moved to the payload preparation complex that had been set-up to host the standalone activities of the payloads. After unpacking, inspections, and functional checks of the EXOpod Nova, Exolaunch engineers confirmed the readiness of the deployer to be integrated onto the launcher. Before the deployer access window covers were installed, the students could inspect their CubeSats for the last time before their journey to space. As Adrian Pérez, from 3Cat-4 puts it, “Watching our satellite at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, ready for launch, I realized how far the dedication and passion of everyone who contributed had brought us. Being able to learn from the amazing professionals working there was an unforgettable experience.”

Another key milestone attended by the students was the Combined Operations Readiness Review, which demonstrated the readiness of the payloads, the launch vehicle, and the CSG facilities to begin combined operations. Following this, the payloads were authorized for mating to the launch vehicle adapter. Similar to an intricately designed flower arrangement, all payloads were meticulously installed in the launch vehicle adapter: they were mechanically assembled and electrically integrated into the launch vehicle's upper composite in a staged sequence. The students from 3Cat-4 and ISTSat-1 were able to observe how Arianespace engineers completed the mechanical and electrical checks, making their deployer ready for flight.

This campaign was particularly special as the passengers of the Ariane 6 inaugural flight were invited to sign the mission logo on the fairing, marking a memorable moment for these Fly Your Satellite! teams.

Of course, no visit to CSG is complete without tours of the spaceport. Highlights included visiting the Launcher Assembly Building, (where the Ariane 6 upper and lower propulsion modules are horizontally integrated), viewing the Vega and Ariane 5 launch pads, and exploring the Mission Control Centre in the Jupiter building. Most excitingly, thanks to the ESA Kourou office, a special tour of the Ariane 6 launch pad was organized for the Fly Your Satellite! delegation. Students were awestruck by the sheer size of the launcher on its launch table, housed in its mobile gantry.

After the teams returned to their universities, the CubeSats in the stacked configuration continued their journey to the Final Assembly Buidling (BAF) to be encapsulated within the fairing in vertical position. Their final ride on Earth will be the transfer to the launch pad, where the countdown to liftoff will soon begin.

As João Paulo Monteiro, from ISTSat-1 summarises it, "Visiting the CSG facilities in Kourou was a great experience for the team. Besides learning about the various steps involved in preparing payloads and rocket for launch, we were impressed by the sheer scale of it all: the clean rooms, the launchpads, and the Ariane 6 flight model. We successfully performed final battery checks on ISTSat-1, which showed that everything is ok for deployment. Signing the Ariane 6 fairing was the icing on the cake. Looking forward to the launch! "

Fun fact: The payload preparation complex where 3Cat-4 and ISTSat-1 were integrated on Ariane 6’s ballast is the same as the one used in previous Fly Your Satellite! missions: e-st@r-II, AAUSAT-4 and Oufti-1 (launched on VS-14) and LEDSAT (launched on VV19).