Student satellite good to go

SSETI Express, a low Earth orbit spacecraft designed and built by European university students under the supervision of ESA’s Education Department, is to be launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on a Russian Cosmos 3M launcher on the morning of September 27.

The SSETI (Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative) Express is a small spacecraft, similar in size and shape to a washing machine (approx. 60x 60x 90 cm). Weighing about 62 kg, it has a payload of 24 kg.

Onboard the student-built spacecraft will be three pico-satellites, extremely small satellites that weigh around 1 kg each; these will be deployed once SSETI Express is in orbit.

In addition to acting as a test bed for many designs, including a cold-gas attitude control system, SSETI Express will take pictures of the Earth and function as a radio transponder.

The SSETI Express satellite was designed and built mainly by students under the supervision of ESA’s Education Department. The principal sub-systems (power control unit, UHF unit for communications, onboard computer to control the satellite, attitude control system, propulsion system and camera) were developed at various European universities.