{"id":22568,"date":"2020-08-19T14:07:18","date_gmt":"2020-08-19T18:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=22568"},"modified":"2020-08-19T14:07:18","modified_gmt":"2020-08-19T18:07:18","slug":"student-and-amateur-cubesat-news-roundup-aug-19-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=22568","title":{"rendered":"Student and amateur CubeSat news roundup – Aug.19.2020"},"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

** US Dept. of Education opens CubeSat mission competition for high school students<\/strong>: U.S. Department of Education Launches Space Mission Challenge for High School Students: CTE Mission: CubeSat Challenge seeks to inspire, prepare students for a future in aerospace | U.S. Department of Education<\/a><\/p>\n

Building on the Administration-wide commitment to expand student interest in the booming science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, the U.S. Department of Education today launched CTE Mission: CubeSat<\/a>, a national challenge to inspire students to build technical skills for careers in space and beyond. High school students from across the country are invited to design and build CubeSat (cube satellite) prototypes, or satellites that aid in space research, bringing space missions out of the clouds and into the classroom.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is such an exciting way to rethink education and get students engaged in hands-on learning in the growing aerospace and technology fields,\u201d said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. \u201cI look forward to seeing the innovative prototypes students develop and hope this challenge inspires our next generation of American space explorers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Investors predict that space will be the next trillion-dollar industry<\/a>, and as missions in space continue to expand, so do the career opportunities. This multi-phase challenge offers high school students across the United States the chance to build CubeSat prototypes while learning creative, collaborative, and technical skills for 21st century careers.<\/em><\/p>\n

Schools interested in entering CTE Mission: CubeSat should form a team and submit a mission proposal<\/a> by 5:59 p.m. ET, on Oct. 16, 2020 \u2014 no in-person collaboration or prior experience with CubeSats is required. The online submission form asks for school information, a team profile, a project proposal, and anticipated learning outcomes. Curated educational resources are available to students and teachers online in the CTE Mission: CubeSat resource hub<\/a>. To learn more, schools can join a virtual information session<\/a> on Sept. 1.<\/em><\/p>\n

Up to five finalists will be selected to receive prizes and participate in Phase 2, which runs from January to May 2021. Finalists will have access to expert mentorship and additional virtual resources as they build CubeSat prototypes and plan flight events to launch their prototypes. The Department understands that due to current conditions, schools will need flexibility to safely collaborate when designing and building prototypes during the challenge. The Department looks forward to the creative solutions in the mission proposals it receives as challenge entries.<\/em><\/p>\n

Each finalist will receive an equal share of the $25,000 cash prize pool, as well as satellite development, hardware, and software kits. Challenge sponsors include Arduino, Blue Origin, Chevron, EnduroSat, LEGO Education, Magnitude.io, MIT Media Lab, and XinaBox.<\/em><\/p>\n

Find more about the competition at the CTE Mission: CubeSat blog<\/a>. See, for example, Small yet mighty: CubeSats are transforming the future of space discovery \u2014 and education – CTE Mission: CubeSat<\/a><\/p>\n

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Diagram of the primary components of a CubeSat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

** Norwegian university team building HYPSO-1<\/a> CubeSat to study ocean algae blooms<\/strong>.The NTNU SmallSat Lab<\/a> at the Norwegian University of Science & Technology is developing a miniature hyper-spectral camera system for the mission. The 6U CubeSat is to be launched later this year.<\/p>\n

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The HYPer-Spectral smallsat for Ocean observation (HYPSO) will observe oceanographic phenomena via a small satellite with a hyperspectral camera, intelligent on-board processing and robots<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Why?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Ocean is of great interest to understand the effects of climate change and human impact on the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

Traditional EO satellites are very expensive and take several years to develop and launch.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dedicated SmallSats can be used to provide images of small areas of interest with short revisit times.<\/em><\/p>\n

The information can be downloaded, and communicated to unmanned vehicles which can investigate the areas of interest further.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n