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Scientists at the Australian Space Technology Research Center (ACSER) have used additive technologies to create the UNSW-Ec0 nanosatellite. The satellite will become part of a swarm of 50 devices designed to study the Earth's thermosphere in detail.
The launch of the QB50 exploration mission is scheduled for the end of this year. The program involves universities from all over the world, creating satellites in the CubeSat format. The main goal of the project will be to study the lower layers of the thermosphere at an altitude of 200-380 km.
“This region remains poorly studied and difficult to measure, despite its important role in the interaction of the planet with space. It is this layer of the atmosphere that absorbs the bulk of the ultraviolet and X-ray radiation emanating from the Sun. The result is aurora borealis, as well as energy surges that are potentially harmful to electrical and communications networks, ”explains ACSER Director Andrew Dempster.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales are designing and manufacturing three of the fifty required devices. One of them, under the article "UNSW-Ec0", is being created by the scientists of the ACSER center, which is part of the university. The satellite's design makes extensive use of 3D printed components, including a supporting structure made of thermoplastic.
The 3D printed design of the satellite will also be an experiment of sorts. “We made a nickel-plated nylon structure. Composites like this have not yet been used in orbiters, so we're wondering how this material will behave in space, ”explains research team member Jun Wein Chung.
The onboard equipment will consist of five measuring instruments, including an ion and neutral particle mass spectrometer (INMS), which will be used to measure the QB50 program. The miniature device weighs only 2 kg, and the onboard equipment is powered by solar panels.
The developers hope that the 3D-printed satellite will last in orbit for six months, although it is difficult to accurately predict how long it will last in the energetic region. Two other satellites, INSPIRE-2 and SUSat, being developed by the university in collaboration with specialists from other Australian universities, will measure the electron temperature and plasma density.
“The QB50 project will be the most rigorous study ever undertaken in the lower layers of the thermosphere. The satellites should last from three to nine months, and ideally up to one year. Sooner or later, the orbital speed of the vehicles will drop so much that the swarm will enter the dense layers of the atmosphere and burn up, ”says team leader Elias Abutanios.
A swarm of fifty spacecraft will be carried aboard the International Space Station by the Cygnus freighter and the Orbital ATK Antares launch vehicle. The spacecraft will be placed in their calculated orbits using an onboard launch system owned by NanoRacks.
