This UAlberta student team, working under the guidance of engineering and science professors, brought Alberta into the space age by designing and building Ex-Alta 1, the province's first satellite. Ex-Alta 1 was launched in the spring of 2017 and is expected to work as part of an international "swarm" of cube satellites monitoring space weather until mid-2018. In September of 2017 it captured information about a major solar flare, collecting valuable data that may help predict such occurrences, which threaten communications and power infrastructure.
A core group of team members has formed a new Alberta space company, Promethean Labs.
Students on the AlbertaSat team are now working on Ex-Alta 2. It will monitor ground conditions in search of hot dry spots on the ground to predict where forest fires might begin. The satellite will also be able to examine aerosol particles (smoke) to track fires. This method can be better than a thermal hot spot for finding a fire's point of origin in its early stages.
The team has nearly completed Ex-Alta 2's critical design review. It should be built and ready for launch within two years.
A core group of team members has formed a new Alberta space company, Promethean Labs.
Students on the AlbertaSat team are now working on Ex-Alta 2. It will monitor ground conditions in search of hot dry spots on the ground to predict where forest fires might begin. The satellite will also be able to examine aerosol particles (smoke) to track fires. This method can be better than a thermal hot spot for finding a fire's point of origin in its early stages.
The team has nearly completed Ex-Alta 2's critical design review. It should be built and ready for launch within two years.