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Dec 4, 2018
Spaceflight SSO-A lift off
The first commercial satellite created in Switzerland was launched Monday night on SpaceX rocket. The equivalent of 4 years of work for Astrocast, based at EPFL, launched yesterday by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Falcon 9 spaceflight launches SSO-A & Falcon 9 first stage landing
3 ... 2 ... 1 ... lift-off! For the first time, aboard the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket launched Monday from California, was a commercial satellite entirely created in Switzerland. The start-up that designed, built and will exploit it, celebrated on this occasion in small committee this major step, after several false hopes: the launch has been postponed four times by SpaceX for checks or weather concerns.
Swiss space distances itself from the debacle of S3
The soap opera of the company S3, based in Payerne, tainted the image of the Swiss space. "With the general public and non-specialized partners, we had to show that we were not at all in the same situation, explains Fabien Jordan. S3 had utopian goals, unrealistic, and committed early serious management mistakes. As a start-up, Astrocast has undergone a much more progressive development, aimed at ensuring its sustainability. "
Switzerland has already tasted the space
The Apollo 11 mission deployed an experiment on the solar wind at Moon and the astronauts were equipped with Omega watches, atomic clocks for satellites. Since 1992, Switzerland has an astronaut, Claude Nicollier. Material developed by the University of Bern also accompanied the first steps on the moon. But Switzerland also has several satellites to its credit. The SwissCube, developed at EPFL, was launched in 2009 thanks to the work of many researchers and students. Many of them are working today for Astrocast. In addition, systems to clean the Earth's orbit of its many debris are currently being developed.
A constellation of nano-satellites
"It's stressful, and very exciting at the same time," says Fabien Jordan, CEO of Astrocast. After 4 years, it's time to prove to investors and customers that it works, before you can move forward. "Indeed, the start-up does not stop there.
Astrocast cubesat's constellation
If this demonstration mission works, a whole constellation of nano-satellites will be launched around the earth, to create a lowcost system of communication between machines. The network will serve, for example, to locate lost maritime containers, or to manage drinking water installations in developing countries.
The culmination of 4 years of work
The company has about a year to build a dozen of these "cube sat", each as large as a shoebox and weighing nearly 4 kg. The entire assembly line is in an EPFL building. "A tight schedule is always a challenge, admits Fabien Jordan. In four years, we had to raise funds, gather talent, and develop and test all our systems. "
Astrocast 0.1, 0.2 satellite
For the team, it will take another day or so before hoping to hear the first "beep" of Kiwi life, a small name for the satellite, and be able to slash the champagne.
SpaceX can launches small satellites for a low cost: 40'000.- Sfr / 1 Kg, the total cost for this mission is 450'000.- Sfr (200'000 for the Astrocast satellite and 250'000 the SpaceX launch).
Related articles:
Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express successfully launched
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2018/12/spaceflight-sso-smallsat-express.html
EPFL software at the command of satellites
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2017/05/epfl-software-at-command-of-satellites.html
Cleaning up Earth's orbit: A Swiss satellite tackles space debris
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2012/02/cleaning-up-earths-orbit-swiss.html
Swiss Space Systems: bankruptcy confirmed
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2017/01/swiss-space-systems-bankruptcy-confirmed.html
Related link:
Astrocast: https://www.astrocast.com/
SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/
Images, Video, Text, Credits: Astrocast/SpaceX/SciNews/Günter Space Page/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
