U of M researchers patiently await launch of first satellite into space
Researchers at the University of Manitoba’s Price Faculty of Engineering are patiently awaiting the launch of the school’s first ever satellite into space.
A team of faculty and students at the U of M have spent the last few years building a CubeSat, a new standard in building satellites. The satellite is made up of ten-centimetre cubes, each about the size of a Rubik’s Cube. The entire U of M CubeSat - named Iris - is about the same size as a milk carton.
“The whole idea here is to improve access to space,” said associate professor Philip Ferguson. “We can do that by using less expensive parts and by using sometimes students to build the spacecraft, and at the same time teach people about space systems engineering, space science, geology. It’s a great tool for many different uses.”
Ferguson said their CubeSat cost less than $50,000 to build, as opposed to the hundreds of millions of dollars it costs for a traditional satellite.
The CubeSat movement began in the early 2000s at Stanford University. The Canadian Space Agency began its own CubeSat program in 2018. As part of the program’s first edition, 15 universities across Canada received funding to build their own CubeSat and program it.
Iris will be taking pictures of rocks in orbit to find out how they react to space weather.
“Everything from cosmic radiation, to micrometeoroids, to atomic oxygen,” said Ferguson. “We think that there’s a whole lot of nothing in space, but really there’s quite a lot of things going on space that changes the way things look to us.”
Ferguson said the experiment results will tell them more about how to interpret images and samples collected from space.
“These kinds of things weren’t possible before the CubeSat movement just because nobody could afford to get something in space,” he added.
The team has already started on their next CubeSat, working with Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut to design a satellite to study ice thicknesses in Hudson’s Bay.
After the original launch planned for Saturday was scrapped due to high winds, a re-scheduled launch for Sunday was also postponed.
SpaceX will try again to launch its Falcon 9 rocket with Iris on board Monday at noon.
Once the cargo arrives at the International Space station, Ferguson said it could take more than a month before the astronauts actually deploy Iris.
“I’m told amongst our spacecraft is a new solar array for the space station, and a bunch of fruit for the astronauts,” Ferguson said. “I’m assuming the astronauts will want to indulge in some fresh fruit, but eventually they will get to unpacking our CubeSat.”
The satellite will be launched into orbit 400 km above the Earth’s surface. Once activated, it will send its data back to the U of M campus for about two years.
“At that altitude, things usually only last a few years before the atmosphere pulls it back to earth and it burns up,” said Ferguson.
Despite the weekend’s launch postponement, Ferguson is excited for Iris to get into orbit and get to work. He said it’s a great day for Manitoba.
“We’re a hub of aerospace engineering and space research here in Manitoba, and we’re looking to do more of it in the years to come.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.