A small satellite is being built to be launched into space by 2011.
The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) working on the project for the first C ubesat brasileiro, or NANOSATC-BR, an initiative that seeks to develop technological and university training in space technology.
As the name implies, the cubesat is a small satellite the cube, with an approximate mass of 1 kg. This technology is widely used to build satellites to university because of its simplicity and low cost. Since the end of the decade of 1990, tens of CubeSats scientific purposes, observation, and others have been launched into space.
This national project was conceived nearly three years after initiating a scientific study of the UFSM aluno, guided by Otávio Durão, a researcher at INPE. Achievement after his presentation a contract with Dr. Nelson Schuch, Southern Regional Centre for Space Research (CRS) of INPE, which took management of the mission, and the evolving term study on a project.
Last year marked the beginning of the mission NANOSATC-BR, when they were awarded several lots of 'research for undergraduate students in mechanical engineering, electronics and computing the UFSM ..
and the satellite's mission has been fully determined and is currently working on buying the Cubesat platform next to a Dutch manufacturer, ISIS, INPE funds, valued at $ 120,000 and must be delivered in the first half of 2010. At the same time, is developing software and software part of the mission board.
This year, in addition to investing INPE UFSM spend approximately $ 200 000 for mounting a "clean room" within its campus, where he carried out the integration activities management and nano satellite and the earth station will be located in UFSM. final testing before shipment to launch the satellite nano will be held by the Integration and Testing Laboratory (LIT) in Sao Jose dos Campos (SP) of INPE
The NANOSATC-BR will have two scientific instruments, a magnetometer and a precipitation particle detector, which will allow real time monitoring of precipitation of particles in the magnetosphere and its changes, to determine their effects on various regions of Brazil, like the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA, for its acronym in English) and Brazil's equatorial electro jet.
This anomaly (SAMA) is a "failure" of the geomagnetic field in this region, which is close to Brazil, said Jose Manuel Octavio. As a result of this anomaly, There is an increased risk of the presence of high energy particles in the region, which can affect communications, signals from global positioning satellites, GPS, or even cause failure of electronic equipment such as computers on board. The INPE study of this anomaly is performed for decades, with several renowned researchers who are even involved in defining the mission and its payload.
The nano is expected that the satellite will be launched into space in the first quarter of 2011. Initially, the working hypothesis into orbit by a Russian rocket Dnepr, but no longer do this type of missions. Now more likely that the release is through PLSV Indian rocket, but it is also possible to use the new small launcher for the European Space Agency, Vega. is estimated that the launch will cost about U.S.. $ 115.000, to be disbursed next year.
Satellite university
Although the Brazilian pioneer CubeSat, NANOSATC-BR is not the first national satellite initiative of the university.
Since 2005, scholars from the Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica (ITA / CTA), University of Sao Paulo (USP) and the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), with support from INPE and financial resources of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), developed the Itasat. A satellite with a mass of 70 kg, nearly equatorial orbit at an altitude of 750 km and has several technological experiments in space purposes, and a transponder for a Data Collection System (DCS).
Earlier in 2002, engineering students electrical and telecommunications at the University of Northern Paraná (Unopar), Londrina (PR) built the Unosat (Undergraduate Student orbital satellite), an experimental satellite nano about 9 kg, whose function was to send a satellite earth station information such as temperature, electric current and voltage, and transmit to Earth via audio messages.
UNOSAT was connected mechanically SATEC satellite technology, built by INPE, and lost in a fire at the platform and the VLS-1 V03 launcher in August 2003 in Alcântara (MA) , which ended up killing 21 technicians and engineers of the Space Program .
(*) As the study being conducted by the UNI, several universities in the world have undertaken such projects in the region, the Pioneer has been the Sergio Arboleda University in Colombia, which launched its Cubesat the April 17, 2007, the satellite data transmissions was 2.307 for 23 days and 7 hours, with a total success.
The aim of these projects Cubesat, is mainly to introduce university professionals and students in aerospace technology, clearly the purpose experimental and academic, ie learning, in any way create an operational system, to provide "services" or to set up a solution to the issue of earth observation, that is impossible, given the operational constraints. The Cubesat Chaski UNI-1, according to a note published recently, take pictures which is 30 km pixel, and the success of the mission is to ensure that at least take a picture or some physical parameters through sensors, and that these data be transmitted to the ground.
is therefore important that the message about the Cubesat as Chaqui-1, are well communicated to the community THE EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS ARE CubeSat, as these provide the foundation for future developments largest and most important, so you need to have restraint and explain to the public what they really will be able to do.
It is a mistake to plant exaggerated expectations of the CubeSat for aspects of political marketing, as far from supporting the development of such projects, what they do is undermine the true objectives of these programs, and end up ultimately a disappointment when the satellite will get to do what they promised (to predict earthquakes, glaciers and forest monitoring, etc). Besides that falsely convey this message ends up being too an obstacle to the development of larger projects, 100% fully operational and necessary for the country, to convey the idea to the public that a Cubesat can do everything, something that is not real, because as mentioned, its objectives are purely academic. Such initiatives must be supported by everyone, but we must also ensure that the message is transmitted to the public opinion is right.
(*) Thank you for your broadcast.
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