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Also on the PSLV-C20 launch are the Canadian military satellite SAPPHIRE, and the twin spacecraft BRITE-Austria and UniBRITE, developed in Canada for TU Graz and University of Vienna respectively. ISRO put out a pretty good brochure describing the launch.

You can find some good photos of the stacking and launch vehicle integration here, here, and here. You can watch the launch live on Monday morning here.

Needless to say, we're all pretty stoked around here ^__^

AIS on the IIS is amusing, but not all that helpful. SpaceQuest, ORBCOMM, and COM DEV all have space based AIS systems up...

Specifically, COM DEV has CanX-6 (also known as NTS, or Nanosatellite Tracking Ships) which has been operating on orbit for over a year now. NTS is much smaller than the ISS too, measuring in at 6.5 kg for a 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm cube. NTS went from bar-napkin concept to launch in just 7 months.

The UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory (the organization that designed and built NTS for COM DEV) is also working on a Norwegian satellite called AISSat-1 that is due to launch in the coming months. While the same size and roughly the same mass as NTS, AISSat-1 will offer two significant improvements -- on-board AIS signal decoding and verification, and full three-axis stabilization and control.

-Aikon

AIS on the IIS is amusing, but not all that helpful. SpaceQuest, ORBCOMM, and COM DEV all have space based AIS systems up...

Specifically, COM DEV has CanX-6 (also known as NTS, or Nanosatellite Tracking Ships) which has been operating on orbit for over a year now. NTS is much smaller than the ISS too, measuring in at 6.5 kg for a 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm cube. NTS went from bar-napkin concept to launch in just 7 months.

The UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory (the organization that designed and built NTS for COM DEV) is also working on a Norwegian satellite called AISSat-1 that is due to launch in the coming months. While the same size and roughly the same mass as NTS, AISSat-1 will offer two significant improvements -- on-board AIS signal decoding and verification, and full three-axis stabilization and control.

-Aikon

AIS on the IIS is amusing, but not all that helpful. SpaceQuest, ORBCOMM, and COM DEV all have space based AIS systems up...

Specifically, COM DEV has CanX-6 (also known as NTS, or Nanosatellite Tracking Ships) which has been operating on orbit for over a year now. NTS is much smaller than the ISS too, measuring in at 6.5 kg for a 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm cube. NTS went from bar-napkin concept to launch in just 7 months.

The UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory (the organization that designed and built NTS for COM DEV) is also working on a Norwegian satellite called AISSat-1 that is due to launch in the coming months. While the same size and roughly the same mass as NTS, AISSat-1 will offer two significant improvements -- on-board AIS signal decoding and verification, and full three-axis stabilization and control.

-Aikon

Since it's not in the summary, Brendan Quine is an associate professor at in Space Engineering at York University in Toronto, Ontario (Canada). He is responsible for the Argus micro-spectrometer on the CanX-2 nanosatellite, currently operating on orbit. The satellite was developed by the University of Toronto's Space Flight Laboratory.

Aikon-

I'd have expected Mr Quine to be an android who builds androids, actually.

Since it's not in the summary, Brendan Quine is an associate professor at in Space Engineering at York University in Toronto, Ontario (Canada). He is responsible for the Argus micro-spectrometer on the CanX-2 nanosatellite, currently operating on orbit. The satellite was developed by the University of Toronto's Space Flight Laboratory.

Aikon-

I'd have expected Mr Quine to be an android who builds androids, actually.

Since it's not in the summary, Brendan Quine is an associate professor at in Space Engineering at York University in Toronto, Ontario (Canada). He is responsible for the Argus micro-spectrometer on the CanX-2 nanosatellite, currently operating on orbit. The satellite was developed by the University of Toronto's Space Flight Laboratory.

Aikon-

Since it's not in the summary, Brendan Quine is an associate professor at in Space Engineering at York University in Toronto, Ontario (Canada). He is responsible for the Argus micro-spectrometer on the CanX-2 nanosatellite, currently operating on orbit. The satellite was developed by the University of Toronto's Space Flight Laboratory.

Aikon-

And maybe that they also know how to build and launch an entire satellite, including the radio communications sub-system. Currently operating on-orbit:

• MOST (telescope)
• CanX-2 (technology demonstration)
• NTS (CanX-6, AIS tracking)

Currently under construction/testing:

• BRITE (CanX-3, telescope)
• CanX-4 and CanX-5 (precision formation flying)
• AISSat-1 (AIS tracking)

We also have our own ground-station which is capable of communicating in UHF, VHF, L-band, and S-band.

Aikon-

And maybe that they also know how to build and launch an entire satellite, including the radio communications sub-system. Currently operating on-orbit:

• MOST (telescope)
• CanX-2 (technology demonstration)
• NTS (CanX-6, AIS tracking)

Currently under construction/testing:

• BRITE (CanX-3, telescope)
• CanX-4 and CanX-5 (precision formation flying)
• AISSat-1 (AIS tracking)

We also have our own ground-station which is capable of communicating in UHF, VHF, L-band, and S-band.

Aikon-

And maybe that they also know how to build and launch an entire satellite, including the radio communications sub-system. Currently operating on-orbit:

• MOST (telescope)
• CanX-2 (technology demonstration)
• NTS (CanX-6, AIS tracking)

Currently under construction/testing:

• BRITE (CanX-3, telescope)
• CanX-4 and CanX-5 (precision formation flying)
• AISSat-1 (AIS tracking)

We also have our own ground-station which is capable of communicating in UHF, VHF, L-band, and S-band.

Aikon-

And maybe that they also know how to build and launch an entire satellite, including the radio communications sub-system. Currently operating on-orbit:

• MOST (telescope)
• CanX-2 (technology demonstration)
• NTS (CanX-6, AIS tracking)

Currently under construction/testing:

• BRITE (CanX-3, telescope)
• CanX-4 and CanX-5 (precision formation flying)
• AISSat-1 (AIS tracking)

We also have our own ground-station which is capable of communicating in UHF, VHF, L-band, and S-band.

Aikon-

And maybe that they also know how to build and launch an entire satellite, including the radio communications sub-system. Currently operating on-orbit:

• MOST (telescope)
• CanX-2 (technology demonstration)
• NTS (CanX-6, AIS tracking)

Currently under construction/testing:

• BRITE (CanX-3, telescope)
• CanX-4 and CanX-5 (precision formation flying)
• AISSat-1 (AIS tracking)

We also have our own ground-station which is capable of communicating in UHF, VHF, L-band, and S-band.

Aikon-

And maybe that they also know how to build and launch an entire satellite, including the radio communications sub-system. Currently operating on-orbit:

• MOST (telescope)
• CanX-2 (technology demonstration)
• NTS (CanX-6, AIS tracking)

Currently under construction/testing:

• BRITE (CanX-3, telescope)
• CanX-4 and CanX-5 (precision formation flying)
• AISSat-1 (AIS tracking)

We also have our own ground-station which is capable of communicating in UHF, VHF, L-band, and S-band.

Aikon-

University of Toronto http://www.utias-sfl.net/nanosatellites/CanX1/CanX 1Index.html

For reference:

Previous story on SlashDot about micro satelites:

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/3 1/0451217&tid=160

... and some sattelites lauched before (from russia):

(30. June 2003)
http://dtusat.dtu.dk/
http://www.cubesat.auc.dk/
http://www.utias-sfl.net/nanosatellites/CanX1/CanX 1Index.html

Interesting. The first Canadian micro-sat was [l]aunched on June 30, 2003 at 14:15 UTC by Eurockot Launch Services from Plesetsk, Russia, CanX-1 is one of the smallest satellites ever built. It has a mass under 1 kg, fits in a 10 cm cube

Reference

The timing is interesting.

First story from : http://www.utias-sfl.net/nanosatellites/CanX2/

The CanX-2 Mission

The CanX-2 Mission is the second "NanoSatellite" Mission at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS/SFL). The Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiments (CanX) push the envelope of what can be achieved in space with small, low-power devices. With a focus on aggressive experimentation, CanX missions use the latest commercial technologies and manage moderate risks in exchange for low cost and quick turnaround. UTIAS/SFL is part of an international community of nanosatellite developers that share common launches to reduce costs.

At 3.5 kilograms and the size of a carton of milk, CanX-2 will be a pathfinder mission in 2006 to evaluate novel technologies that will be used on the CanX-4 / CanX-5 dual satellite mission in 2008 to demonstrate controlled formation flying in space. Formation flying technology will open the door to larger missions for highresolution Earth observation and interferometric imaging that can also be used for space astronomy. The technologies to be tested include a novel propulsion system, custom radios, innovative attitude sensors and actuators, and a commercial GPS receiver.

In addition to evaluating these miniature technologies, the satellite will also perform experiments for other university researchers across Canada. These include a GPS radio occultation experiment to characterize the upper atmosphere (Calgary), an atmospheric spectrometer to measure greenhouse gases (York), a network communications experiment (Carleton), and a space materials experiments (Toronto).





Second story from : http://www.spacedaily.com/news/microsat-05j.html

Canadian Researchers To Showcase CanX-2 Nanosat August 31

Toronto ON (SPX) Aug 30, 2005 University of Toronto researchers will demonstrate how a satellite the size of a milk carton that may revolutionize the space industry on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 10 a.m. at University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) Lecture Hall, 4925 Dufferin Street.

At only 3.5 kilograms, the Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment 2 (CanX-2) will test small, low-power devices that could lay the groundwork for flying formations of small satellites that could eventually replace larger, more expensive satellites.

At the demonstration, researchers will control the CanX-2 nanosatellite through a wireless radio link and download real-time images and telemetry from on-board equipment including a GPS-based positioning system, a miniature propulsion system and tiny devices used for sensing and controlling the satellite's orientation in space.

"The point of this mission is two-fold," says Professor Robert Zee, managing director of the UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory (SFL).

"The first is to provide complete development cycle training for students through a real space mission that has to be completed in two years. The second is to launch a tiny research platform into space to test innovative, revolutionary technologies in a rapid, risk-taking manner and also to perform important science missions that are now benefiting from the availability of smaller and smaller instrumentation."

CanX-2 is the second nanosatellite mission at UTIAS/SFL. CanX-1, Canada's first nanosatellite and one of the smallest satellites ever built, was launched with the MOST microsatellite in 2003 by Eurockot Launch Services from Plesetsk, Russia.

Sidebar to Second story

In collaboration with researchers from across Canada, the primary mission of CanX-2 will be a GPS radio occultation experiment to determine vertical profiles of atmospheric properties. It will also perform a number of additional experiments including mobile ad-hoc networking, autonomous control, advanced surface mate

But doesn't the picture on THIS page HERE look like a Borg cube?

Kidding aside, this is definitely a project I'll be lurking for a long while.

But doesn't the picture on THIS page HERE look like a Borg cube?

Kidding aside, this is definitely a project I'll be lurking for a long while.