A cubesat, at home!, Leicester, UK Options

[SpiderMonkey]

Got it. Life happens.

How does the ADS work on something that small, anyhow? You guys using gyros or one of the odd modern variants (vyros, interferometric rate sensors, etc.), a minature INS, or maybe GPS?

We use magnetometers, and a computer map of the Earths magnetic field. Fortunately, at the altitudes we will be at, it doesn't change quickly enough to give us too many problems with this approach. We hope.

[SpiderMonkey]

Term has started again, so things will be moving fast now. I can keep you informed if anyone is still interested.

[imipak]

...if anyone is still interested.

Yes! Please do. I'm looking forward to reading about your progress

[leper]

What a great university project! Please, keep us up to date

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

Of course we're still interested !

[SpiderMonkey]

The project has benefited from the paid work done during the summer break. Substantial progress has been made on several subsystems, and this combined with an influx of new freshers has given me fresh enthusiasm for the mission (I was previously having doubts, for long and complicated reasons). We are making tentative steps

Our main issue right now is the payload. On OBDH we are currently working out an automated power up routine for a a subsystem that requires high voltages applied very carefully, and has to be quickly shut off if (or perhaps when) it shows signs of melting. The payload team themselves are working on getting the thing small enough to fit in the cubesat (and although like I said I don't know much, the high voltages I was talking about are giving some headaches - we need a transformer somewhere and our mass and volume budget doesn't allow for a big stonking lump of iron)

I have presented Dougs offer of media-related help to the management, they are of course interested but right now are more focused on technical issues. Nobody is asking to do a story about us at this very minute anyway so having good animations isn't yet necessary.

We hope to deliver by summer next year, for launch some months afterwards. The management seem to have begun looking into getting us a space on a launcher, but of course once we book it we are locked into our delivery date and that already involves some quite tight deadlines. Much hard work ahead.