Students To Design, Build, Launch and Operate State Satellite
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FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 25, 2006) – The University of Kentucky is part of a
coalition of state universities and organizations that today announced the creation of
KentuckySat, a joint enterprise to design, build, launch and operate small satellites for
education, research and economic innovation purposes. The primary mission of KySat is to train
students in the dynamics of spacecraft design, construction, launch and operation and to
support accompanying education and research applications.
KySat is a Pico class cube-shaped satellite with a mass of less than one kilogram. Once in orbit, KySat will be made available at no cost to Kentucky students, teachers, schools, and universities for educational and research uses, which include communications capability, temperature monitoring, current, voltage and science sensors, and photography using an onboard camera.
In addition to UK, the KySat partnership is comprised of lead institution Morehead State University, Murray State University, University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University, Kentucky Space Grant Consortium, Council on Postsecondary Education, Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation and the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation which is the managing partner.
Lead mission partners include Stanford Space and Systems Development Laboratory (SSDL), NASA Ames Research Center, KatySat (“Kids Aren’t Too Young for Satellites”) and California Polytechnic State University, which will serve as the launch integrator. Kentucky Virtual University is the virtual network partner maintaining remote communications among the partners.
“KySat represents the kind of bold and innovative initiative that Kentucky must pursue on a number of levels if it’s going to be truly technologically, educationally and economically competitive in the global marketplace,” said Kris Kimel, president of KSTC.
KySat emerged through the work of the KSTC’s Advanced Concept Office created in 2004 at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.
The collaborations among the postsecondary institutions result from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s Strategy for Statewide Engineering Education. The multi-layered engineering strategy is designed to increase the number of engineers in the state to boost the state’s economic competitiveness and to address regional issues of access and productivity in engineering education.
“KySat will be instrumental in expanding the engineering pipeline by creating exciting learning opportunities for students,” explained CPE President Tom Layzell. “KySat will help our institutions increase their capacity to recruit, educate and graduate additional engineers.”
A design/build team of Kentucky undergraduate and graduate students, including UK engineering students Garrett Chandler and Dale McClure, are currently taking part in remote satellite design classes from NASA Ames. They will spend the summer at NASA Ames working with Stanford graduate students and faculty, NASA Ames researchers, KatySat personnel and other spacecraft development professionals in the Silicon Valley Region on satellite design and construction.
By the end of summer, the KySat engineering model will be completed with the actual flight model to be built in Kentucky during the fall of 2006. Plans now
KySat is a Pico class cube-shaped satellite with a mass of less than one kilogram. Once in orbit, KySat will be made available at no cost to Kentucky students, teachers, schools, and universities for educational and research uses, which include communications capability, temperature monitoring, current, voltage and science sensors, and photography using an onboard camera.
In addition to UK, the KySat partnership is comprised of lead institution Morehead State University, Murray State University, University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University, Kentucky Space Grant Consortium, Council on Postsecondary Education, Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation and the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation which is the managing partner.
Lead mission partners include Stanford Space and Systems Development Laboratory (SSDL), NASA Ames Research Center, KatySat (“Kids Aren’t Too Young for Satellites”) and California Polytechnic State University, which will serve as the launch integrator. Kentucky Virtual University is the virtual network partner maintaining remote communications among the partners.
“KySat represents the kind of bold and innovative initiative that Kentucky must pursue on a number of levels if it’s going to be truly technologically, educationally and economically competitive in the global marketplace,” said Kris Kimel, president of KSTC.
KySat emerged through the work of the KSTC’s Advanced Concept Office created in 2004 at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.
The collaborations among the postsecondary institutions result from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s Strategy for Statewide Engineering Education. The multi-layered engineering strategy is designed to increase the number of engineers in the state to boost the state’s economic competitiveness and to address regional issues of access and productivity in engineering education.
“KySat will be instrumental in expanding the engineering pipeline by creating exciting learning opportunities for students,” explained CPE President Tom Layzell. “KySat will help our institutions increase their capacity to recruit, educate and graduate additional engineers.”
A design/build team of Kentucky undergraduate and graduate students, including UK engineering students Garrett Chandler and Dale McClure, are currently taking part in remote satellite design classes from NASA Ames. They will spend the summer at NASA Ames working with Stanford graduate students and faculty, NASA Ames researchers, KatySat personnel and other spacecraft development professionals in the Silicon Valley Region on satellite design and construction.
By the end of summer, the KySat engineering model will be completed with the actual flight model to be built in Kentucky during the fall of 2006. Plans now
call for a launch of “KySat1” in mid-to-late 2007.
KySat will involve an ongoing series (every 12-18 months) of satellite design, build, and launch projects.
A copy of the full KySat information (ConOps) document is available on KSTC's Web site.
KySat will involve an ongoing series (every 12-18 months) of satellite design, build, and launch projects.
A copy of the full KySat information (ConOps) document is available on KSTC's Web site.