(13 feb) – The University of Bologna celebrates the first space conquestof the laboratory ‘Microsatelliti e Microsistemi Spaziali’ of the Second Faculty of Engineering, Alma Mater. It’s scheduled for today the launch of the satellite ALMASat-1, lifted by the ESA launcher ‘Vega’ from French Guyana. The Alma Mater satellite is a 30-centimeters side cube, it weighs 13,5 kg, and has been planned and constructed from students and researchers directed by Prof. Paolo Tortora. “The plan – Prof. Paolo Tortora, director of the laboratory, has explained – started in 2004, a year after the birth of the laboratory. The first year has been dedicated to the realization of a reception and transmission station”. The Alma Mater satellite will be the second load and once in orbit it will be controlled from Forlì, thanks to the station developed in the laboratory. “In the first hours, the satellite will be constantly monitored to make that everything works – they say from the laboratory -. After that, it will be controlled by machines. In case of problems we created an alarm system that contacts the staff of the laboratory via sms”. (Ram)
ALMASAT-1: HOW IT WORKS
“A 30-centimeters side cube that weighs 13,5 kg. Both educational and technological aspects have been central: the system is simple and low budget, but we made a lot of effort towards new technologies, like using commercial component parts in spatial field”, they say from the University. For example: the satellite uses those to Lithium Ion Battery that can be found in the portable electronic devices; or the home-made solar paddles that supply energy to the system. “It’s a cold gas micro propulsion system – prof. Tortora ha remarked -. A very small propulsion that allows the stability control and the satellite tracking”.
