On a farm in York, east of Perth, a group of scientists carefully strapped a prototype satellite to a parachute and a helium balloon on Friday — to test technology destined for the International Space Station.
Key points:
- Curtin University's Binar Space Program has launched a prototype satellite from York
- The prototype was for three satellites to be launched into Earth's lower orbit from the ISS next year
- The satellites will test out radiation-shielding alloys developed by the CSIRO
The team from the Curtin University's Binar Space Program were testing how the prototype — fitted with a 360-degree camera — would fare in a lower pressure situation, ahead of the real thing.
Next year, Binar will continue their world-class research by sending three satellites simultaneously into lower Earth orbit.
The satellites will test out a range of unique and innovative technologies, including radiation-shielding alloys developed by the CSIRO.
Binar Space Program space systems engineer Stuart Buchin said the purpose of the launch was to test a series of the systems onboard the satellite.
"So collecting all the information on voltages, currents, temperatures. And we're beaconing that information down over UHF radio," Dr Buchin said.
"We're verifying that we can do long-range communications tests and that our systems are going to work in harsh environments such as the upper atmosphere."
In November, the Binar team will hand over their three satellites to JAXA — the Japanese space agency — who will verify if they are ready for launch.
If all goes according to plan, the WA-made satellites will then be shipped to the United States and sent up to the International Space Station, which will send them into low Earth orbit.
An altitude of 30km
Charlie Morley-Wong, a final year physics and engineering undergraduate student, was the project lead for the prototype launch.
It has been 12 months in the making for him.
"I'm very pleased, very grateful to be here. I'm still studying, but I also have the ability to be the project lead on something like this. It's insane," he said.
"The engineers who built it have been spending long hours putting it all together. It's taken a lot of time. It's great to see it all pay off."
After the satellite was launched, winds took it east into the heart of the Wheatbelt, destined for Narembeen.
The balloon reached an altitude of 30 kilometres.
The Wheatbelt was chosen as the launch site for its wide open spaces, but the team assured the ABC the small satellite and its parachute were lightweight and designed for a gentle landing.
All the technologies on board the prototype satellite were developed in-house at Curtin University.
On Friday afternoon the team described the satellite launch as a success, although issues with the GPS tracker meant they were still trying to locate it.
Loading