Danish ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen introduces the AAUSAT5 CubeSat, explaining who constructed it and what its mission objectives are. AAUSAT5, a CubeSat entirely built by a university team with ESA’s support, was launched to the International Space Station aboard the Japanese HTV-5 cargo vehicle 19 August 2015.

AAUSAT5 will be deployed from the Space Station in October, marking the first ESA student CubeSat mission ever launched from space: the pilot project of ESA’s ‘Fly Your Satellite from the ISS!’ education programme.

After deployment, AAUSAT5 will start its technical mission: test, in orbit, an improved version of its receiver for the Automatic Identification System. This system is designed to track and identify ships transiting away from coastal areas and in remote areas, potentially allowing safer use of new shipping lanes.