Designing, developing, and building a satellite to be used by the
U.S. Department of Defense sounds like something you might expect from a major national corporation.
But a team of
Michigan Technological University students have done all those things, and soon will see their creation, the Oculus-AST nanosatellite, launched into orbit around the Earth.
The team took first place in the University Nanosat 6 competition, sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory, and earned the privilege of having the DoD launch their satellite.
They were one of 11 university teams awarded a two-year contract to design and build these small nanosatellites, after submitting plans to reviewers. By winning the competition, Michigan Tech got another contract to keep developing the satellite, and launch it using DoD rockets.
The 154-pound Oculus will be performing the jobs it was built to do, which are to recognize other orbiting objects and report on their existence and activities.
"The DOD wants to know what's orbiting the Earth, who owns it, what it's doing, and what it might do in the future," says team advisor L. Brad King, an associate professor of mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics at Tech.
The usefulness of Oculus is a major reason behind its competition win, says King.
"Nobody wants to spend a million dollars to put a beeping university mascot into orbit," King says. "One of our strengths was our vehicle's relevance to the DoD, the fact that it was doing meaningful science."
Writer: Sam EgglestonSource: L. Brad King, Michigan Technological University
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