BRAD ELSBERG
MakerSat Team Northwest Nazarene University
Students from Northwest Nazarene University responsible for designing and building the MakerSat-0.
A 3D printed CubeSat designed by students will launch on Tuesday November 14th to assist Made In Space (MIS) in polymer material research.
The experimental MakerSat-0 was designed by undergraduates at Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) and pupils at Caldwell High School, Idaho, in partnership with Made In Space. It will be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, as part of a NASA mission. Carrying miniaturised electronics and sensors, the CubeSat will collect real-time data on the effects of the harsh environment of space on the 3D printed polymer materials. This data will continue to be collected over the next few years on half-gram samples of ABS, PLA, nylon, and PEI/PC ULTEM.
MakerSat-0 will begin sending the information back to Earth within two hours of its launch as it flies at an altitude of around 800 kilometres. It is set to travel at 17,000 mph in a sun-synchronous orbit crossing the North and South Poles 14 times a day, with students using their smartphones to access the data.
This data is set to assist Made In Space’s research in various projects, including the Archinaut, and will act as a precursor mission to MakerSat-1. Early next year, having had months-worth of data to assess, the MakerSat-1 will be assembled – its structural frame having been printed on the MIS Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in August – and deployed into orbit.
Archinaut technology by Made in Space
Archinaut technology developed by Made in Space may enable us to manufacture large objects in space.
Since Made In Space was founded in 2010 its mission has been to find solutions for space exploration. While it stands as the leading company in the in-space manufacturing sphere, it regularly leans on the likes of NNU and Caldwell High School for assistance in its efforts. Together, all parties are hoping the MakerSat-0 will have a significant impact in the skies above.
“The MakerSat missions will provide the space community with invaluable test data on how these materials react to oxygen plasma, ultraviolet and ionising radiation, vacuum, extreme temperatures, and micrometeorite collisions,” said Dr Stephen Parke, NNU, engineering professor and faculty lead.
“Our AMF printer makes it possible to manufacture and assemble CubeSats on demand aboard the ISS,” added Matt Napoli, MIS vice-president of In-Space Operations. “Using AMF, universities, government and company researchers can rapidly design, print, test, and iterate new research concepts at a much lower cost than traditional research methods on Earth. The MakerSat missions are going to provide us with materials research information that will be used for projects such as Archinaut, the first in-space, autonomous robotic additive manufacturing and assembly platform.”
NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative has provided the opportunity to launch the MakerSat-0, which has been chosen as one of four CubeSats for its ELaNa XIV mission. This mission has also seen small satellites developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Vanderbilt University launched into orbit.
Missions of this type represent the move from larger satellites to CubeSats by NASA, as electronics and sensors become smaller and cost savings of thousands of dollars more easily attainable.
