Otherwise, the nanosatellite has been nearly entirely developed by graduate and undergraduate students who have designed, built and validated the vast majority of its components, conducted complex analyses and planned and performed test campaigns with specialised equipment. For several students, the mission is central to their course curriculum or degree thesis.

“The primary goal of the mission is educational; training a group of students in the techniques and methodologies involved in flying a space mission, while conducting challenging teamwork with a real sense of responsibility,” explains Alexander Kinnaird, ESA Engineering Coordinator for the Fly Your Satellite! project.

“But 3Cat-4 also has several scientific and technological objectives that we hope will demonstrate the big potential of CubeSats when it comes to innovative space technology, usually reserved for larger satellites.”