On July 5, at 8:41 a.m., the rocket Soyuz with TalTech’s new generation student satellite Koit (Dawn) was launched from the Vostoschnoy Cosmodrome into Earth's Orbit.
The launcher Vega will take Hämarik (Dusk) – the second satellite of TalTech to the space on September 5, 2019 at 4:45 a.m. Estonian time.
TalTech implements the student satellite project together with Datel, an Estonian company operating in the space sector.
Video of the start of Soyuz rocket.
TalTech student satellite Koit took the Song Festival song He Flies Towards the Beehive the the space and will start observing the Earth with a dithered colour and near-infrared camera.
According to TalTech Rector Jaak Aaviksoo, making scientific experiments in space is a great challenge for every university. “Koit and Hämarik are satellites with a unique research program that experiment with digital signing of space documents. Such projects inspire young people to think and act really big. Like our self-driving car Iseauto project, Koit and Hämarik create and shape the future of Estonia,” said Rector Jaak Aaviksoo.
According to Rauno Gordon, Head of TalTech Space Centre, Koit and Hämarik will be able to make detailed coloured pictures of Earth from space and map the globe with these images. “We can monitor in more detail the changes taking place in a region, such as geological processes or weather events. Near-infrared and colour cameras provide an opportunity to track vegetation, ie, what is the condition of plants in certain areas - whether they grow well or have dried up."
The most important and innovative test is the use of high-frequency data communications on such a small satellite. The satellite has a small x-band radio transmitter, and it has a large 5-meter in diameter high frequency parabolic antenna at TalTechi Mektory on Earth as a receiver.
Another important test is trying out of a fail-safe computer architecture, which should be able to continue to work despite the computational errors caused by radiation in space. In addition, the satellite has devices for testing optical communications and data security.
The start of the satellite Hämarik from Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana is scheduled for September 5, 2019 at 4:45 a.m. Estonian time. Hämarik will be taken to space with the launcher Vega, for which a contract was signed last year with Italian company SAB Launch Services Srl.
The gold sponsor of Koit and Hämarik is AS Datel. The student satellite project is also supported by AS Telegrupp, CGI Estonia, Lennuliiklusteeninduse AS, Mediq Estonia, Stoneridge.
Media queries
Krõõt Nõges
TalTech Press Officer
tel 5303 6163
kroot.noges@taltech.ee
Agu Leinfeld
AS Datel, Director of Software Development and Technology
tel 5117 557
agu.leinfeld@datel.ee