Tag Archives: VEGA

Jan 29 2013

ESA Call for Proposals: FLY YOUR SATELLITE!

Artists impression of Vega launch

Artists impression of Vega launch

’Fly Your Satellite!’ is an exciting new initiative from the European Space Agency (ESA) Education and Knowledge Management Office. It is focused on CubeSat projects run by university students and builds on the successful ‘CubeSats for the Vega Maiden Flight’ pilot programme, which culminated in 2012 with the launch of seven university student-built CubeSats on board the Vega Maiden Flight.

In the future, this new initiative is intended to cover the complete development process of a satellite from concept to launch. However, the 2013 edition will be dedicated to teams whose satellite is already at an advanced stage of development and able to complete the Flight Model assembly by June 2013. One, two or three-unit CubeSats are eligible.

Fly Your Satellite (FYS) – Call for Proposals – Iss.1

FYS – instructions guidelines – Iss.1

The opportunity will be open to European university teams from ESA Member States or Cooperating States:
• ESA Member States – Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
• ESA cooperating States – Canada, Estonia, Hungary, and Slovenia.

Further information on the ESA website at http://www.esa.int/Education/Call_for_Proposals_Fly_Your_Satellite

Aug 8 2012

ESA – Towards a new educational CubeSat initiative

Vega Amateur Radio CubeSats PW-Sat, Masat-1 and Robusta

ESA’s Education Office is inviting the CubeSat community to send their notifications of interest for a new initiative involving the development of educational picosatellites and the provision of deployers and launch services. The call closes on 7 September 2012.

Continue reading →

Mar 28 2012

ESA – CubeSats satellite operations update

Members of XaTcobeo team at ground station

Members of the XaTcobeo CubeSat team at the ground station

ESA have issued an update on the amateur radio CubeSats that were launched on February 13.

Since the launch ESA’s Education Office has maintained frequent contacts with the student teams to follow the progress of their satellite operations.

For each team, this is the first hands-on experience of operating an orbiting satellite, and some of them have had to deal with some challenging difficulties.

Read the ESA report at http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Education/SEM2KRGY50H_0.html

Mar 19 2012

Spring OSCAR News

The Spring edition of the AMSAT-UK colour A4 newsletter OSCAR News is being posted to members this week.

In this issue
– Dick Daniels W4PUJ SK
– VEGA Maiden Flight Report
– My way to solve the TLE lottery by Mike DK3WN
– Your Spacecraft recording wanted, urgently
– Getting back on the Satellites by Andrew Sellers G8TZJ
– Sumbandilasat
– FUNcube satellite project update
– The Clive Wallis G3CWV Column
– A Swiss satellite to tackle space debris
– ARISSat-1/KEDR goes silent
– FUNcube satellite models part 2
– KickSat – your personal spacecraft in space!
– Shorts

You can get OSCAR News by joining AMSAT-UK online at http://tinyurl.com/JoinAMSAT-UK

AMSAT-UK is a voluntary organisation that supports the design and building of equipment for amateur sadio satellites. Its members are currently building the satellite FUNcube-1.

Mar 13 2012

ESA to start mini space mission series

BBC Science correspondent Jonathan Amos reports that the European Space Agency is starting what it expects to become a regular series of small science missions.

The first winning “S-Class” idea will receive 50 million euros (£42m) and will be readied for launch in 2017.

Prof Mark McCaughrean, head of ESA’s Research and Scientific Support Department is reported as saying:

“We want to hear from innovative people who’ve got a clever idea that doesn’t need a billion or half a billion euros, but can be done with a much smaller amount.”

Read the full BBC News story at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17335339

Call for a Small mission opportunity in ESA’s Science Programme for a launch in 2017 http://sci.esa.int/2012-S-Call

Feb 24 2012

E-St@r TV Interview

Sabrina Corpino, Team Leader of the E-St@r CubeSat project, is interviewed by ASI TV about the CubeSat that was launched on February 13.

Watch E-St@r – L’intervista

E-ST@R http://areeweb.polito.it/ricerca/E-STAR/

Vega Launch Success – Satellite Signals Heard http://www.uk.amsat.org/4657