Name sought for Sweden's first student satellite
The alma mater of Sweden’s first astronaut is about to become the first Swedish university to send its own student-built satellite into space. They just need a name for the craft.
Headed by history-making astronaut Christer Fuglesang, the Space Center at KTH Royal Institute of Technology is home to a new student project to build and launch a CubeSat mini satellite into Earth’s orbit in 2017.
The Student Satellite Project at KTH is directed by space engineer Sven Grahn. The students are taking online votes until Saturday, October 25 select a name for the satellite.
The project was first announced at the opening ceremony of the new Space Center. Students were invited to participate in building the satellite, and space industry and researchers were asked to propose payloads.
Fuglesang, Adjunct Professor of Space Physics at KTH, says it is exciting that KTH is the first university in Sweden with a student-built CubeSat.
“I am proud that we at KTH can be the first in space with this,” he says. “There has been great support at KTH for this project with everyone I come into contact with, from the students to the President of the university.”
Fuglesang says the CubeSat dimensions are 3 dm x 1 dm x 1dm – roughly the size of a shoebox. The weight will depend on the payload, but is expected to total about 4kg.
The director of the project, Grahn, has worked on nearly every Swedish space project in the past. KTH’s CubeSat build will start in 2015 satellite.
“We will need to piggy-back with a large satellite to make the launch affordable, so the lifespan of the craft depends on what path we end up at,” he says. “It will orbit at around 500 to 650 km from Earth and remain there for up to 25 years.”
Håkan Soold
For more information about the Student Satellite Project, contact Christer Fuglesang at +46 87906465 or cfug @ kth.se