The UoS3 will be the first satellite built at the University of Southampton. Depending on when it is launched, it could make the University the second educational institution in the UK to have achieved such a feat. The UoS3 will address an important scientific need of improving our ability to predict where the satellites will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and impact the ground. Several institutions world-wide, including the European Space Agency, have formally expressed their interest in obtaining the data that the UoS3 will gather.

The design of the UoS3 has been carried out entirely by students of the University, mostly through their Group Design Projects (GDPs). The work has been split into smaller packages, which can be tackled by individual GDPs, on a functional basis. These GDPs designed, built and tested a given subsystem of the satellite, e.g. the radio equipment. The information flow was facilitated by postgraduate students who have been involved in the project since its conception. All the manufacturing has been carried out at the University.

The design process of the UoS3 shows how the collaboration between several GDPs can be achieved in order for them to design and build a much more complex system than any single GDP could deliver. The UoS3 demonstrates how a relatively small group of students can rapidly design and build a low-cost satellite that will conduct and important mission, which will improve the safety of life and assets on ground. Moreover, the design and manufacture of the UoS3 has been a valuable educational experience for all the involved students and the University staff.