{"id":19024,"date":"2019-06-16T16:14:38","date_gmt":"2019-06-16T20:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=19024"},"modified":"2019-06-16T16:14:38","modified_gmt":"2019-06-16T20:14:38","slug":"student-and-amateur-cubesat-news-roundup-june-16-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=19024","title":{"rendered":"Student and amateur CubeSat news roundup – June.16.2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. related to student and amateur CubeSat<\/a> \/ SmallSat projects and programs:<\/p>\n

** Students in the Melbourne Space Program<\/a> built ACRUZ-1 smallsat<\/strong> to launch on next Rocket Lab<\/a> Electron rocket: ACRUX-1 headed to space on Rocket Lab\u2019s next Electron rocket launch | Melbourne Space Program<\/a><\/p>\n

ACRUX-1 was designed and built by engineering students, with the support of regulatory and business teams as well as professional development and marketing teams.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Melbourne Space Program<\/a> is a not-for-profit education organisation run entirely by volunteers \u2013 students from universities across Melbourne with a vision to launch the next generation of technology pioneers.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"ACRUX-1\"<\/a>
“ACRUX-1 is MSP\u2019s inaugural cubesat and marks a significant crux for the organisation. Credit: Blake Fuller, MSP.”<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

See also What does mission success mean for ACRUX-1? | Melbourne Space Program<\/a><\/p>\n

** Students at the University of North Texas<\/a>\u00a0College of Engineering<\/a> design CubeSat solar panels with shape memory metal<\/strong> to maximize energy efficiency: Shape memory alloy technology leads to energy-efficient CubeSat – Univ. of Northern Texas<\/a><\/p>\n

A team of\u00a0University of North Texas<\/a>\u00a0College of Engineering<\/a>\u00a0seniors have created an energy efficient system for controlling solar panels on CubeSats using a nickel-titanium shape memory alloy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Their design beat out teams from nine other universities to take first place at the\u00a0CASMART 3rd Student Design Challenge<\/a>\u00a0in Germany. The international engineering competition for undergrad and graduate students asked teams to create innovative technologies using shape memory alloy.<\/em><\/p>\n

…<\/em><\/p>\n

The system designed by Ayers, and fellow\u00a0Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering<\/a>\u00a0students Brittany Thurstin, Kelsa Adams, Jordan Barnes, Robert Boone and David Evers opens, closes and moves a CubeSat\u2019s solar panels in space using just 20 watts of battery power.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cFor this project, we developed three separate shape memory alloy mechanisms for our CubeSat, named Penny, a retention mechanism that holds the solar panels in place during launch, a deployment mechanism that extends the solar panels into space and an actuator that moves the panels to follow the sun,\u201d said Thurstin. \u201cApplying a minimal amount of electricity provides all the mechanical energy needed to get the satellite up and running. We actually built a CubeSat to show just how the shape memory alloy system would work.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

** Israeli 17 year old wins entrepreneurial creativity contest<\/a> award with his CubeSat designs<\/strong>:<\/p>\n