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CubeSats can be used in many different scenarios, and one of their most important uses is providing an easy path to understanding how to design, plan, and launch a mission. That was the idea behind AlbaSat, a 2U CubeSat currently under development by a team at the University of Padova with an impressive four different functional sensors packed into its tiny frame.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n AlbaSat was initially developed as a student project at the University of Padova as part of ESA\u2019s Fly Your Satellite (FYS) program, which, through its two iterations, has helped students get their CubeSat ideas off the ground \u2013 literally. AlbaSat was one of the more ambitious projects in the program, with four different key scientific objectives.<\/p>\n First was a study of the prevalence of space debris, which is becoming a growing problem, as the team noted in their paper describing the mission\u2019s feasibility when they discussed Kessler Syndrome. Tracking small debris floating in orbit is a challenge from the ground, but a satellite in orbit itself could do better. To do so, the team developed the Impact Sensor, which would detect debris hitting AlbaSat itself. It consists of a resistive sensing element placed on top of some PTFE, which was prototyped in a project called DRAGONS by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics.<\/p>\n \n