A microsatellite built largely from donated parts in university workshops across Europe is just over one week from launch. It is the first in a trio of student-built spacecraft that will ultimately reach for the Moon.
It took only 18 months for more than 400 students – spread across 23 universities and 12 countries – to design and build the SSETI Express spacecraft. Set to launch from Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome on Sept. 30, the project is part an education effort by the European Space Agency (ESA) to boost student interest in space technology and offer some hands-on experience.
“The idea is for the students to benefit from the real experience,” Philippe Willekens, education projects administrator for the ESA, told SPACE.com. “I can say easily that this satellite was 99 percent made by them.”
Student teams built SSETI Express subsystem-by-subsystem and communicated primarily through the Internet, though weekly chat sessions and twice-yearly workshops helped keep everyone on the same page.
“It was a great opportunity to learn a lot about high space technology,” said Marcin Jagoda, who graduated from Poland’s Wroclaw University of Technology in July where his team developed the satellite’s communications system, in an e-mail interview. “I’m really looking forward to launch.”
By Tariq Malik |