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HEADING TO SPACE

First Saskatchewan-made satellite to launch Saturday

Jun 2, 2023 | 1:02 PM

Saskatchewan, we’re about to have liftoff!

On Saturday, the first-ever Saskatchewan-made satellite will be launched. It has the label of “RADSAT-SK,” and will be aboard the SpaceX CRS-28 rocket.

A team of 20 undergraduate students from the University of Saskatchewan developed the cube-shaped satellite. The cube shape may sound like a unique style, but it’s actually becoming a trendy design.

“Cube satellites are becoming a big thing right now,” said Rylee Moody, the project’s financial manager.

The satellite is expected to orbit Earth for about one year, but it could last longer.

“We’re not sure exactly how long it’ll be in orbit for,” said Moody. “Eventually, it’ll lose enough energy and it’ll come back to Earth and burn up.”

The mission of this satellite is to help with radiation research, and a special dosimeter board was developed for the satellite to measure radiation coming from space.

The board was developed by Dr. Li Chen, an electrical and computer engineering professor at the University of Saskatchewan. The satellite also has a fungal melanin coating that was developed by Dr. Ekaterina Dadachova.

A lab on the university’s campus will collect experimental radiation data from the satellite.

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