Building satellites – It IS rocket science!

Satellites have been an integral part of our lives since Sputnik-I was first launched in 1957. Most common satellites include communication satellites, weather satellites and Earth science satellites. The sizes vary anywhere from thousands of kilograms to less than 1 kg cubical boxes. Who builds them also has changed since the early days. In early development days, only government agencies and large corporations could afford the development, launching and operation of satellites. In more recent years, small nations, medium sized companies and universities are all part of the development team. York University is one of many universities in Canada that offers space engineering program. Students not only learn about how satellites work in cold and dark space, but they also learn to design, build and operate actual satellites through hands-on experiments. This one-hour seminar includes the introduction to satellite design, brain-storming session for Pong Sat design, followed by student presentation on their design. A winning design will be developed into an experiment and flown to the edge of space with the other York University Pong Sat experiments.