STARLab

Our goal is to make space more accessible for everyone by creating opportunities for new technologies to be tested and implemented at a lower cost compared to traditional methods. We are dedicated to creating an environment where students will be exposed to industry wisdom and academic knowledge, a fertile ground where students can develop professionally. The STAR Lab is currently developing a CubeSat, known as Iris, as part of the Canadian CubeSat Project (CCP). The CCP is an initiative by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to provide fifteen post-secondary Canadian institutions with guidance and support in developing their own CubeSat missions. At the end of the project, the CSA provides a mission launch for each CubeSat mission, providing students with valuable experience in all aspects of a space project. The Iris project is a collaboration between the STAR Lab, the University of Winnipeg C-TAPE Lab, York University, and the Interlake School Division. We are developing a CubeSat to expose contain geological samples with known material composition to record and categorize the effects of space weathering. The Iris CubeSat will expose the geological samples to the space environment in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and direct solar radiation for a maximum mission duration of two years.