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Thank you, “AIST”!
The main result of the years of cooperation between Federal State Unitary Enterprise State Scientific and Production Missile Space Centre “Central Assembly and Design Engineering Bureau-Progress” and SSAU became two space launching of small satellites for scientific purposes “AIST” in 2013.The Project to create a small university spacecraft “AIST” was initiated by a group of students of Samara State Aerospace University named after Academician S.P. Korolev in 2006. The series of “AIST” spacecrafts were created in cooperation with the Centre “Central Assembly and Design Engineering Bureau-Progress” supported by the administration of Samara Region. In particular SSAU plays a key role in training of highly qualified specialists in the field of small spacecrafts creation. Participation of the young professionals at all stages of the process of creating a spacecraft from design to production and exploitation ensures the formation of a whole generation of active young scientists capable of solving important scientific and applied problems.
The small spacecraft “AIST” is intended to solve educational, scientific, technical and experimental problems, as well as to demonstrate the scientific, technological and industrial potential of educational and industrial organizations of Samara Region.
Within the framework of the Project the following scientific and technological experiments are conducted:
- maintenance of piloting capacity for advanced multifunctional unpressurized platform for satellites weighing 30-60 kg;
- measurement of the Earth's magnetic field parameters and development of measuring system and compensation system of microacceleration of small spacecrafts (scientific equipment MAGKOM);
- research of microgravity problems;
- research of behaviour of high-speed mechanical particles of natural and artificial origin (scientific equipment METEOR);
- development of technology of “associated” run as well as unstressed separation subsystem of the small spacecraft from the mother spacecraft;
- experimental development of perspective types of solar cells made of gallium arsenide based on nanotechnology in space.
Final orbital insertion of the small spacecraft “AIST” was performed by “associated” launch in conjunction with the space complex “Bion-M” № 1 on the carrier rocket “Soyuz-2” on 19.04.2013 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Carrier rocket “Soyuz-2-1B” with output unit “Volga” was successfully launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on December 28, 2013 at 16 hours 30 minutes Moscow time. Technological sample of the small spacecraft “AIST” was a payload. Thus, currently there is a grouping of two small spacecrafts “AIST” working in orbit designed to meet the educational, scientific, technical and experimental problems.
In memory of Gagarin
Another interesting project that involved SSAU since 2012 is a space project QB50. This project intends the creation of space measuring network represented by a grouping of 50 CubeSat standard nanosatellites placed into low orbit. The main objective of the project is to study the Earth's thermosphere and creation of its unsteady 3-D model. The project is of great importance for the assessment of climate changes and prediction of possible natural disasters.Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (Brussels, Belgium) is an engagement manager of the project.
All nanosatellites are created by universities and innovative companies. There were 82 applications from 40 countries for participation in the open contest. Upon announcement of the contest results SSAU became the only participant in the project QB50 from Russia presenting the project of SamSat-QB50 nanosatellite (Head - Professor Belokonov I.V.). The project involves about ten SSAU students and undergraduates.
Samara nanosatellite SamSat-QB50 will have an original transformed design, allowing to provide the required guidance through the use of a fully passive orientation and stabilization system. Since implementation of this project is intended to realization in 2016, Samara students decided to dedicate this nanosatellite to the 55th anniversary of Yu. A. Gagarin flight.
Ivan Ponomarev
