Alsat Nano

A suite of three payloads have been selected for the UK Space Agency and Algerian Space Agency’s (ASAL) joint CubeSat development programme, AlSat Nano.

The payloads include SpaceMag-PV Boom, C3D2 and Thin Film Solar Cell.

An academic-industrial partnership will develop the suite of three payloads, which will use the mission to deliver new and innovative space technologies.

Said to be the UK’s second CubeSat mission, AlSat Nano will be designed and launched as part of an education programme Surrey Space Centre (SSC), which will be delivered to Algerian students. It is planned for launch in mid-2016.

The programme aims to train Algerian students on how to design, build and operate a 3U CubeSat, and demonstrate practical implementation of low-cost space technology.

The UK Space Agency is providing funds to design and build the platform hardware and software, while ASAL will be responsible for final assembly and testing, launch and operations of the satellite.

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"An academic-industrial partnership will develop the suite of three payloads, which will use the mission to deliver new and innovative space technologies."

UK Space Agency CEO David Parker said: "This collaborative programme with our Algerian partner demonstrates the UK’s open and collaborative approach to international space projects, especially in the innovative and fast moving field of CubeSats.

"These tiny spacecraft are helping ever more organisations to get involved in satellite technology, develop skills and drive innovation."

The SpaceMag-PV Boom payload is designed to enhance capability of CubeSat’s booms, which hold instrument sensors as far as possible from the spacecraft body to reduce interference.

The payload is said to flight test the world’s longest CubeSat-compatible boom with the ability to deploy up to 2m, and could become the basis of de-orbit systems for future missions. It will carry a magnetometer RadFET radiation monitors, and test tokens of solar cell material.

C3D2 is a customisable CubeSat camera with three fields of view and on-board software processing capabilities. It will be supported by Open University Centre for Electronic Imaging, e2v and XCAM.

Thin Film Solar Cell is a solar cell structure deposited on cover glass measuring 1/10th of a millimetre thick. It will be developed by Glyndwr University Centre for Solar Energy Research, the University of Surrey, Qioptiq and Surrey Satellite Technology.

UK’s first CubeSat mission, UKube-1 nanosatellite, was launched in July 2014.

The satellite is designed to facilitate testing new technologies and conduct space research at a fraction of the cost of a regular satellite.

Image: CAD drawing of AlSat Nano. Photo: courtesy of Surrey Space Centre.