The Portuguese nanosatellite ISTSat-1, which has been in space for two weeks, is functional but may have transmission problems due to the low power of the signals received on the ground, the Higher Technical Institute (IST), which built it, admitted on Thursday.
“The low strength of the received signals suggests that there may be problems with satellite transmission.“We are very pleased with the results of this study,” said João Paulo Monteiro, systems engineer at ISTSat-1, quoted in an IST statement, adding that the technical team is “now focusing on finding solutions to improve signal reception” by “installing antennas with higher gain” at the IST satellite tracking station in Oeiras and creating “decoding error correction algorithms.”
Despite this, ISTSat-1 “It is stable and works as expected”: Its antennas opened correctly, the solar panels are working, the battery is charged and the temperature of the various components, despite being low (around 4ºC), “is in line with predictions”.
ISTSat-1, the first nanosatellite built by a Portuguese university institution, was sent into space on 9 July aboard the new European Ariane 6 rocket, after having sent its first signals to Earth hours after being put into orbit.
Located 580 kilometers above the Earth, above the International Space Station, the “home” and laboratory of astronauts, ISTSat-1, built by IST students and teachers, will be used to test a new decoder of messages sent by aircraft that will allow them to be detected in remote areas and to evaluate the feasibility of using nanosatellites to receive signals on the status of aircraft, such as speed and altitude, for aviation safety purposes.
The nanosatellite is expected to send its first data about a month after it begins operations.
ISTSat-1, a cube that cost around 270 thousand euros, is the third Portuguese satellite launched into space, after the Eros MH-1 nanosatellite in March and the PoSAT-1 microsatellite in 1993, which had contributions from companies.
The Technical nanosatellite, launched as part of a European Space Agency (ESA) programme aimed at university institutions, will remain in orbit for between five and 15 years before re-entering the atmosphere, but its mission will be shorter.
In addition to ISTSat-1, other small satellites and scientific equipment from foreign institutions, companies and space agencies were sent.
Source: Observadora
