{"id":22028,"date":"2020-06-17T17:54:12","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T21:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=22028"},"modified":"2020-06-22T13:17:53","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T17:17:53","slug":"student-and-amateur-cubesat-news-roundup-june-17-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=22028","title":{"rendered":"Student and amateur CubeSat news roundup – June.17.2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sampling of recent articles, press releases, etc. related to student and amateur CubeSat<\/a> \/ SmallSat projects and programs (find previous smallsat roundups here<\/a>):<\/p>\n

** NASA expands Cube Quest Challenge<\/a> competition<\/strong>: \u00a0NASA Invites Competitors to Shoot for the Moon and Beyond | NASA<\/a><\/p>\n

NASA is inviting additional teams to compete in the\u00a0Cube Quest Challenge<\/a>. You can still participate in the in-space phase of the challenge and be eligible to win part of a $4.5 million prize purse.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Cube Quest Challenge, NASA\u2019s first in-space competition, incentivizes teams to design, build and deliver small satellites capable of advanced operations near and beyond the Moon. To compete, new teams meeting the\u00a0eligibility criteria<\/a>\u00a0must obtain a ride to deep space for their CubeSats \u2013 either through commercial launch opportunities or programs like NASA\u2019s\u00a0CubeSat Launch Initiative<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe welcome new teams to join us in this challenge in pursuit of advancing space exploration,\u201d said Monsi Roman, program manager for NASA\u2019s Centennial Challenges. \u201cWhen we established the Cube Quest Challenge in 2015, commercial flight opportunities weren\u2019t as available. Now that technology has advanced and commercial partners are flying payloads, it is a great time to make potential participants aware of the opportunity.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Fifteen university and private developer teams have already competed for prizes to showcase creative CubeSat technologies through ground-based tournaments, or phase one, of the Cube Quest Challenge, which was completed in 2017.<\/em><\/p>\n

Three winners<\/a>\u00a0received spots as secondary payloads on Artemis I, the first integrated test flight of NASA\u2019s Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft. These teams have been working on their CubeSats, readying them for launch. Once deployed from the rocket, the teams will begin phase two, the in-space competition.<\/em><\/p>\n

In-Space Competition<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

All Cube Quest Challenge competitors, both new and current, will compete in one of two arenas. The Lunar Derby is where CubeSats are to maintain a verifiable lunar orbit. There\u2019s also the Deep Space Derby, in which CubeSats reach approximately 1.8 million miles from Earth.<\/em><\/p>\n

Once in orbit, the CubeSats must complete various tasks outlined in the\u00a0competition rules document<\/a>\u00a0to be eligible for prize money. To ensure data integrity, each satellite must transmit NASA-provided communications data to be eligible for prize money.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Next Frontier<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cube Quest Challenge opens the lunar and deep space environment, thanks to the mastery of several technologies,\u201d said Elizabeth Hyde, a mechanical engineer at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley and technical advisor for the challenge. \u201cThe three technology areas we see as important for jumping from low-Earth orbit to deep space are communications, propulsion and radiation tolerance for CubeSats.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Initiatives such as the Cube Quest Challenge aim to make deep space exploration more accessible and open up commercial space opportunities beyond low-Earth orbit.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe next frontier is small satellites. Development efforts are aimed at pushing the boundaries of CubeSat exploration beyond low-Earth orbit,\u201d Hyde said.<\/em><\/p>\n

The competition is a part\u00a0Centennial Challenges<\/a>, based at the NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Centennial Challenges is a part of the Prizes and Challenges program within NASA\u2019s \u00a0Space Technology Mission Directorate<\/a>. The challenge is managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley.<\/em><\/p>\n

To register to compete in the challenge, visit: https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/cubequest\/howtoenter\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

For more information of NASA\u2019s Cube Quest Challenge, visit: https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/cubequest\/details<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

For more information about NASA\u2019s Prizes and Challenges, visit: \u00a0https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solve\/index.html<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

**\u00a0 Code In Space!<\/strong><\/a> initiative challenges students to create software to upload and run on a CubeSat in orbit<\/strong>. The 1U CubeSat is named QMR-KWT.\u00a0 Both the satellite and the initiative are sponsored by\u00a0 the Kuwaiti company Orbital Space<\/a> and developed in partnership with EnduroSat<\/a> of Bulgaria. The educational program “is open to all students from all schools and universities around the world<\/em>“. <\/span><\/p>\n

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The code will be uploaded to the nanosatellite from a ground station operating in UHF frequency range. The code will be executed by EnduroSat’s Onboard Computer Type I (high-performance and low-power computing platform)<\/a>. Code executions test results will be received by a ground station operating in UHF frequency range.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Participation can be as an<\/p>\n

individual, or team based and should include a mentor (teacher\/ university faculty member or scientist affiliated with a school or academic\/ research institution)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Software apps will be selected on the basis of how well they provide<\/p>\n

a solution for current challenge or limitation in the satellite industry or new concept that could be of value to satellite technology.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The CubeSat will get to orbit in February 2021 on a SpaceX Falcon 9. After deployment from the F9 upper stage, it will get to its target orbit with the help of a Momentus<\/a> Vigoride transfer vehicle:<\/p>\n