D-Orbit has entered into an agreement with the spacecraft team of the Swiss Institute École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) for the in-orbit demonstration (IOD) of the HOBC onboard computer that was developed in-house by team students.
The IOD mission is part of the CHESS project that aims to launch a constellation of two cubesats to analyze the Earth’s atmosphere chemical composition and its evolution over time. The two satellites will be placed in a circular and elliptical orbit with a low perigee that will allow the spacecraft to “scoop” the higher layers of the atmosphere at the perigee and sample the exosphere at the apogee. The project is also a proof-of-concept for low-cost probes to investigate extraterrestrial atmospheres in future planetary missions.
The payload will be integrated inside ION Satellite Carrier, D-Orbit’s proprietary orbital transfer vehicle, which allows the rapid integration of proprietary and third-party payloads through a standardized plug-and-play mechanical, electrical, and data interface. Testing and validation will be performed on a mid-inclination orbit.
“We are happy to collaborate with a major academic institution like EPFL,” said Renato Panesi, D-Orbit’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). “As a company, we believe in supporting higher education initiatives. With this mission, we are offering EPFL Spacecraft Team an opportunity to de-risk their project while giving students the excitement and experience of going through a real launch campaign.”
“This project marks an important milestone for our association and the EPFL,” said Aziz Belkhiria, president of the Spacecraft Team. “Through this mission, our students have the opportunity to experience the full life cycle of a space project, from concept generation to launch, in a short amount of time. We are now aiming at performing multiple IODs for our components and building a flight heritage before the final launch of CHESS.”
The EPFL Spacecraft Team aims to stimulate the Swiss space ecosystem with complex educational projects involving university students. In addition to training the next generation of space engineer students to conduct innovative space projects, the initiative fosters the creation of stronger links between academy and industry to impact scientific research and the space ecosystem. The launch is scheduled to occur during Q1 of 2023.