We're building a satellite
Luleå University of Technology is building a satellite that will be launched into orbit in 2023 or 2024. The satellite has been named KvarkenSat and is a so-called CubeSat, it weighs two kilos and is about the size of a juice box. In its orbit, the satellite will pass the Kvarken, the narrowest strait in the Gulf of Bothnia between Sweden and Finland, three to six times a day. The satellite will be controlled from a ground station at the University of Vaasa and the space data produced by the satellite will be made available to several other actors, such as the region's residents, companies and schools.
Like most satellites, KvarkenSat consists of antennas, a computer and an electrical system with solar cells and batteries. And of course - payloads. On board, for example, there is a hyperspectral camera whose images can be used to monitor, analyze and model land, sea and vegetation characteristics, and to detect emissions and pollution. There is also an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver that can monitor the movements of ships in the Gulf of Bothnia and other sea areas.
The satellite also has a GNSS receiver, which is a satellite positioning system. The purpose of the GNSS receiver is to collect data to improve the accuracy of positioning algorithms for various space applications. Of particular interest is the use of the European satellite positioning system Galileo to measure KvarkenSat's precise orbital data. The frequency measurements can also be used for other purposes, such as atmospheric research.
Project name: KvarkenSpaceEco
Objective: Build a satellite whose payload will provide space data to Earth
Project partners: Luleå University of Technology, Umeå University, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Swedish Institute of Space Physics, University of Vaasa/Vaasan yliopisto, Aalto University, Novia University of Applied Sciences, VAMK University of Applied Sciences - MUOVA Design Center, Hanken School of Economics and Åbo Akademi University.
Read more: www.kvarkenspacecenter.org External link, opens in new window.
Contact: Chris Nieto and René Laufer
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