The development, testing and verification of the first University of Southampton small satellite for the ESA ‘Fly Your Satellite!’ programme
Group Members
Benjamin Dawson, Thomas Lacy, Rose de Ladoucette, Benjamin Smith, Jacob Verlander, Ariana Vitkova, Michael Woodward, Matthew ZiebaSupervisors
Dr Scott J. I. Walker, Dr Alexander WittigSupporters
European Space Agency, Phil Crump, UoS Spaceflight SocietyUoS3 is the first satellite developed and manufactured by the University of Southampton. In 2017, UoS3 was selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to participate in the Fly Your Satellite! (FYS!) programme with an expected launch in 2019/2020.
The satellite is a 1U CubeSat measuring only 10x10x10 cm. Its mission supports the University´s space debris research by providing position and attitude data during orbital decay, which will be used to verify existing space debris models. Additionally, UoS3 carries a camera to take photos of Southampton from space. The CubeSat project is also primarily an educational tool to provide students with the experience of working in a real space industry environment.
The project focused on refining an existing design to a standard conforming to the strict industry requirements and specifications added as part of inclusion to the FYS! programme. Throughout the year, UoS3 was undergoing a process known as Critical Design Review (CDR), during which the team has worked closely with multiple experts from ESA to address any issues raised regarding the design and the operation of the satellite. All issues had to be addressed and a solution agreed on with ESA to pass the CDR stage. The role of this project was therefore carrying out all necessary testing, verification, design changes and analysis to support the compliance of the satellite design with all requirements in order to meet ESA´s target timeline for launch.
The project has successfully gone through the CDR phase and is currently awaiting the CDR close-out to move onto the Ambient Test Campaign.
The satellite is a 1U CubeSat measuring only 10x10x10 cm. Its mission supports the University´s space debris research by providing position and attitude data during orbital decay, which will be used to verify existing space debris models. Additionally, UoS3 carries a camera to take photos of Southampton from space. The CubeSat project is also primarily an educational tool to provide students with the experience of working in a real space industry environment.
The project focused on refining an existing design to a standard conforming to the strict industry requirements and specifications added as part of inclusion to the FYS! programme. Throughout the year, UoS3 was undergoing a process known as Critical Design Review (CDR), during which the team has worked closely with multiple experts from ESA to address any issues raised regarding the design and the operation of the satellite. All issues had to be addressed and a solution agreed on with ESA to pass the CDR stage. The role of this project was therefore carrying out all necessary testing, verification, design changes and analysis to support the compliance of the satellite design with all requirements in order to meet ESA´s target timeline for launch.
The project has successfully gone through the CDR phase and is currently awaiting the CDR close-out to move onto the Ambient Test Campaign.
