'Challenges & Capabilities & Opportunities of Small Satellites'

Dia 8 de outubro | 14h30 |Auditório Ruy Luís Gomes - Sala 462 | Reitoria da Universidade do Porto

Challenges & Capabilities & Opportunities of Small Satellites: the University of Vigo exemple Prof. Fernando Aguado Agelet - Universidade de Vigo Departamento de Teoría do Sinal e Comunicacións Abstract: In this presentation an overview of small satellites challenges, capabilities and opportunities will be presented. Small satellites missions were initially considered only academic and research projects. Nowadays, missions based on small satellites are focusing not only on technical demonstration initiatives, but also on hight quality, low cost and fast delivery commercial and scientific missions. These current missions include deep space missions such as the NASA's Marco project or ESA's AIMS project. It will be also presented the aerospace activities of the University of Vigo, which began with the selection by ESA of the Xatcobeo project in 2008 and had continued with the United Nations programme HUMSAT.

Prof. Dr. Aguado main areas of interest are System Engineering for small satellites, Space communication, and small satellite constellations. As head of the Space Activities, Aguado has coordinated: The Xatcobeo CubeSat, developed in collaboration with INTA (Spanish National Institute of Aerospace Technology), and launched on (February 2012), the HUMSAT Project and HumSat-D CubeSat (Launched in November 2013), which has been selected by the Space office of the United Nations to be the core of the BSTI (Basic Space Technology Initiative) Programme, having the sponsorship of the ESA (European Space Agency) through the educative Programme GEOID (Genso Experimental Orbital Initial Demonstration) and the Fly your Satellite Initiative promoted by ESA. Aguado is also the coordinator of the FemtoXat Project (1/3 Units CubeSat) current ly approaching PDR (Phase B), Project SERPENS (Agencia Espacial Brasileira, launched in September 2015 from the International Space Station) and responsible of the worldwide Ground station network for the ESEO (Student Space Earth Orbiter).Through all the past and current projects, which have been successively recognized and supported by reference worldwide organization as UN, ESA or AEB. All projects have been developed within the ECSS Standards context, creating and establishing a new framework for Space Projects, as has been recognized by the European Space Agency. Divulgue os seus eventos e projetos através do e-mail: imagem@fc.up.pt