SunSat

This year, SunSat is focused on an exciting mission to design, develop, and launch a 2U CubeSat platform with a scientific experiment on-board. At SunSat, we have two sub-teams, namely avionics and structures, who are working together to make this project a reality. The CubeSat will be launched this summer via a high altitude balloon in collaboration with “Sent into Space”, a Sheffield-based company, and will carry a payload designed to measure temperature, pressure, and air quality in terms of CO2 content. By gathering data on how the quality of air and its composition changes with altitude, we hope to gain valuable insights into our planet's atmosphere and the impact of human activities on it. In addition to its scientific objectives, the CubeSat will also demonstrate Earth observation capability. Our team is working hard to design a modular CubeSat platform that can be adapted to a range of experimental payloads, including one unit of the CubeSat which will be used for an experiment developed by an external team. We are ensuring that the CubeSat is lightweight and cost-effective, while also being able to withstand the rigours of space. To enable recovery of the CubeSat after its mission is complete, we’ll use a recovery system provided by our partner. What is CubeSat? CubeSats are a rapidly growing field of miniaturised satellite technology which offer a unique opportunity to develop and test space technologies with limited resources. These small satellites are typically made of one or more units, with each weighing no more than 1.33 kilograms and measuring about 10x10x10 centimetres in size, making them easier to launch and deploy than traditional satellites.