Scientists set to launch 50 mini-satellites on atmosphere’s outermost layer

An International team of Scientists is getting ready to launch a set of 50 mini-satellites called CubeSats into Earth’s thermosphere, the outermost layer of our atmosphere that we know relatively little about.

The 50 mini-satellites will be launched from the International Space Station, and their job will be to feedback data on how our outer atmosphere functions.

The 50 CubeSats are part of an international project called QB-50, involving researchers from 28 countries, including Europe, Japan, the US, and Australia.

CubeSats are tiny satellites, measuring approximately 10 cm each side, and weighing around 1 kilogram each.

It’s an exciting move for Australia in particular, which is one of the Organizations for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD countries without a space agency.

One of the team from the University of New South Wales in Australia, Andrew Dempster said that the thermosphere is where much of the ultraviolet and X-ray radiation from the Sun collides with Earth, and generates auroras and potential hazards that can affect power grids and communications.

Another researchers, Elias Aboutanios said that the project is the most extensive exploration of the lower thermosphere ever, collecting measurements in the kind of detail never tried before.

Aboutanios explained that the satellites will operate for three to nine months, and may last up to a year, orbiting the little-studied region of space, before their orbits decay and they re-enter the atmosphere and burn up.

The researchers are excited about the potential data collected by the 50 satellites, and the best part is that the CubeSats are a lot cheaper to launch than large satellites, which means you get more data for your money.

The actual launch date is currently scheduled for December, and will be sent to the International Space Stationusing the Orbital ATK Antares rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia. 

They will then take about a month to be deployed from the International Space Station, drifting down from  Station's 380 km orbit to the lower regions of the thermosphere.

NAHIMAT ADEKOGA