Student-designed cubesats span research areas from dark matter to plastic recycling
Space transport company Firefly Aerospace announced the launch of three payloads on its Firefly Alpha rocket as early as 2025 as part of the Firefly DREAM (Dedicated Research Education Accelerator Mission) program, aimed at supporting educational institutions and stimulating interest among students to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
First payload selected — University of Illinois cubesat DarkNESS. His task — look for signs of dark matter decay in data from 3.5 keV X-rays emanating from the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. It will look for X-ray activity that could indicate dark matter decay. DarkNESS uses cryogenically cooled devices developed by Fermilab. A student-led team at the university's Laboratory for Advanced Space Systems at Illinois (LASSI) is working to complete a final analysis of the satellite's design this summer. According to LASSI chief Dr. Michael Lembeck, «the satellite will be the first of its kind to seek X-ray astronomical observations in low Earth orbit».
The second selected useful cubesat — from the Academy of Aerospace and Innovation WolfSat-1. Its goal will be to study the viability of Ideonella sakaiensis bacteria in orbit and assess their ability to decompose polyethylene terephthalate — main component of single-use plastic. WolfSat-1's mission is to develop an efficient plastic waste recycling system for future crewed missions, as well as to minimize the risk of plastic pollution on future lunar and Martian colonies. The Wolfpack Development Team, overseen by the Academy of Aerospace and Innovation, is a non-profit organization that prepares students ages 11 to 18 to design, build, test and launch cubesats. Students will develop the WolfSat-1 payload with assistance from Florida Tech and University of Florida students.
Third useful cubesat selected — ASTRA-ETHERA from Auburn University. Its main goal — demonstration of a compact and inexpensive electrodynamic cable. This tether will be used to lift the satellite out of orbit for five years after its mission ends. ASTRA-ETHERA uses plasma from the surrounding Earth in addition to the Earth's magnetic field. This mission will reduce the lifespan of spent satellites in orbit from decades to several years. This approach will allow satellites to operate in higher orbits and ??meet deorbit requirements. Students ranging from freshmen to graduate students in the university's small satellite program will support the development, testing and launch support of the CubeSat.
Firefly Aerospace supports educational institutions and students by providing the opportunity to launch their projects on its Firefly Alpha rocket. Created by the company in 2019, DREAM eliminates launch costs and helps students develop and launch their own satellite programs. This provides students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the aerospace industry and be inspired to pursue a career in the field.
The first DREAM payload was successfully launched on the Alpha FLTA001 rocket in 2021, with the remaining three payloads planned to launch as early as 2025. Details on the fourth payload are expected at the 4S Symposium in May 2024.