A new Russian and Ecuadorian satellite will travel to space between June and July

Ecuadornews:

Three Ecuadorian students are part of the team of researchers and scientists of the country and Russians who have worked in the research, development and manufacture of a new nanosatellite made in Ecuador.

Michelle Cadena, Juan Carlos Quizhpilema and Eduardo Armas, from the UTE University’s Mechatronics career, were selected in October last year to join the team that traveled to the Roscosmos facilities, the Russian Space Agency, to build the UTE- UESOR 2019, a new spatial monitoring device.

It is the second that has been manufactured by the UTE. The first was launched into space in July 2017. This new device is three times larger than its predecessor. Each of the students developed a research project designed to fit into the 30 cm x 10 cm structure of the device.

Armas presented a stabilization system for the satellite in space, based on position sensors and micromotors that allow you to adjust your movement on the fly. Quizhpilema created a detection system using lasers to monitor the presence of space debris. This type of sensors will allow to alert other missions of the presence of objects that could compromise the integrity of their pieces during their space voyage.

The project presented by Cadena consists of a spectrometer that will detect the presence of greenhouse gases and measure the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Although the projects presented will not be coupled to the satellite, the students developed their ideas and materialized them in Russian laboratories, under the parameters of a real mission.

Its feasibility has been analyzed in Russia and the possibility of including these modules in upcoming releases is evaluated. For now, the Russian space authorities confirmed that there is a launch window for the satellite between June and July, when the UTE-UESOR 2019 will go to space.

Fausto Freire, a research professor at this educational institution and director of the project, explains that the new satellite was built in a similar way to the first one manufactured by the Ecuadorian university. (I)

Its main structure is aluminum construction grade aeronautical ships, while the walls are solar panels that will power the battery. Internally everything will be specialized electronics, tested to withstand pressures, vibrations, accelerations typical of the inhospitable environment existing in outer space. (I)

Source: https://www.elcomercio.com/tendencias/nuevo-satelite-ruso-ecuatoriano-espacio.html