Azerbaijani space students launch micro-satellite
By Nigar Abbasova
Azerbaijani team of students representing National Aviation Academy succeeded to pass to final of prestigious international competition successfully launching micro-satellite by a rocket simulating a real satellite.
Azerbaijan’s NaaSat team thus passed the elimination round and qualified for the final stage of CanSat competition, being very popular since 1990s worldwide.
A CanSat is a simulation of a real satellite by the one with the weight of 350 grams. The challenge for the students is to fit all the major subsystems found in a satellite, such as power, sensors and a communication system, into this minimal volume and shape of a drink can.
The goal is to construct and build a satellite and launch it to an altitude of a few hundred meters by a rocket or drop from a platform or captive balloon. The mission is to carry out a scientific experiment and achieve a safe landing.
CanSat offers a unique opportunity for students to have the first practical experience of a real space project. They are responsible for all aspects including designing the CanSat, selecting its mission, integrating the components, testing, preparing for launch and then analyzing the data.
NaaSat participates in the competition for the first time, nevertheless satellite model developed by the team left behind experienced competitors from the USA and got a right for the launch of satellite.
Main objective of the project is to inspire young people for pursuing a career in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields as well as ensure the availability of a highly qualified workforce in the space industry of the future. Among mandatory experiments are temperature and atmospheric pressure measurement.
CanSat competitions have taken place in many countries around the world over the past 20 years.
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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova
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