GALCIT Colloquium

University-class satellites create both a powerful educational opportunity for tomorrow's aerospace workforce and a significant positive shift in the pace and economics of accomplishing space research. The main barriers to space experiments have always been cost and access. By going to smaller satellites in form factors that may be readily accommodated as secondary payloads on launch vehicles, both of these barriers are greatly diminished. It is now possible to perform more space science, with shorter lead times, and with greater participation from the space engineering community than ever before by reaching out to university satellite labs.

The activities of the Satellite Design Lab (SDL) at UT-Austin are reviewed in this context. The SDL was founded in 2003 by Prof. Glenn Lightsey and has been directed continuously since then. The lab has recently launched 3 student built satellites to orbit, including 2 which are currently active and one which has re-entered. The lab is working on two missions with expected launches in 2013 and 2014. The status and goals of each of these missions are discussed.

The SDL has also provided a major impetus to small satellite technology development. We report on technical progress in guidance, navigation, and control, GPS receivers, optical navigation, and propulsion systems for small satellites. This work provides enabling capabilities for future space missions. The presentation concludes by advocating a stronger partnership between universities and NASA Centers to perform space missions with this emerging class of university-built satellites.