Student and amateur CubeSat news roundup – May.26.2019

A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. related to student and amateur CubeSat / SmallSat projects and programs:

** RWASAT, Rwanda’s first satellite, is a CubeSat developed with the University of Tokyo and is set to launch in July.

[RWASAT]
Credits: Space in Africa

** UAE MeznSat is a CubeSat in development by the UAE Space Agency, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK),. The 3U CubeSat will study the Earth’s atmosphere. The launch is expected at the end of 2019. Preliminary design for UAE’s MeznSat 3U CubeSat under review – SatellitePro ME

… AURAK students are designing and building the satellite to collect and analyse data about carbon dioxide and methane levels in the atmosphere above the UAE. The students are utilising Masdar Institute’s facilities during the satellites design and construction.

MeznSat is to be launched in late 2019 from a site in Japan, in coordination with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Once in orbit, the satellite will use a visible camera as well as a shortwave infrared spectrometer to measure the abundance and distribution of methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A team of students will monitor, process, and analyze the data sent from the satellite at a ground station in the UAE.

More at MeznSat: A CubeSat for Greenhouse GasesMonitoring and Algal Blooms prediction, Abdul-Halim Jallad et al, SmallSat Conference 2018 (pdf)

** AMSAT news on student and amateur CubeSat/smallsat projects: ANS-146 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin