CSIROSat-1 Nanosatellite

 TARGET GROUP: CUBESAT INFRARED TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

OBJECTIVES

·        To develop a CubeSat featuring infrared TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION by enabling new remote-sensing research about the Earth.

SUMMARY

CubeSats are miniaturised cube-shaped satellites units, or nanosatellites, with a single unit size that is 10cm by 10cm by 10cm. They are lower cost, faster to build and cheaper to launch than larger satellites. With these low barriers to entry, they are a cost-effective option for trialling new TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION and space research in low Earth orbit.

CSIROSat-1 will be a three-unit CubeSat, about the same size as a loaf of bread. It will carry an infrared sensor – the first time an Australian satellite has operated in this spectrum – that will allow researchers to 'see' features that can't otherwise be seen using satellite imagery in the visible spectrum. Although the satellite is a pilot and relatively small, the data it will collect about Earth will be valuable for detecting land cover changes such as flooding events or deforestation, detecting bushfires through smoke, studying cloud formation and the development of tropical cyclones, as well as many other applications.

REFERENCE

https://www.csiro.au/en/research/TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION-space/astronomy-space/csirosat-1