There are currently more than 7,700 active satellites in the Earth’s orbit. But even so, there always seems to be room for more, and some students from the Canadian University seem eager to prove that it’s possible.
A CubeSat project led by Canadian universities will launch several miniature satellites into space, according to Global NEWS, each of them having a unique mission that lasts one to two years. The Space Concordia team has built an imaging satellite to analyze aerosol particles and study climate change’s effects on Earth.
Another satellite from York University will observe snow and ice coverage in parts of northern Canada, providing valuable insights into regional climate change impacts. The University of Manitoba’s satellite, which is known as “IRIS,” will examine space weathering by monitoring how space conditions alter the optical properties of space rocks inside it.
Learning more about asteroids and their composition
The new research will enhance human understanding of asteroids’ origins and composition. The CubeSat project has been a transformative experience for the students involved, offering hands-on space engineering opportunities.
Gabriel Dubé, the project manager at Space Concordia and a third-year electrical engineering student who’s only 21 years old, explained as Global NEWS quotes:
One of the big advantages and … really cool thing about this project is we get a lot of practical experience, which is something that’s a bit difficult to get with the normal degree because there are so many theoretical things that we do in classes.
The initiative has already sent seven satellites made by students to space, and the upcoming launch will increase that number to 12. Fifteen Canadian colleges and universities have received grants from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to participate in the collaborative project, supporting the development and deployment of innovative CubeSat missions.
