[LUM#7] Objective space
In 2015, Camille Cambon helped build the Robusta-1B satellite, which went into orbit this summer. A seminal experience for the former intern at the Montpellier University Space Centernow a doctoral student.
It left Earth at the end of June and passes over Montpellier twice a day, orbiting at 28,000 km/h in the vacuum of space. With palpable emotion, Camille Cambon recalls the launch of the Robusta-1B nanosatellite. In 2015, the former intern at the Centre spatial universitaire (CSU) put the finishing touches to the manufacture of this absolute concentrate of technology. A cube measuring 10 cm in edge and 1 kg in weight, on which a total of fifty CSU student interns worked. It's the perfect way to make a lasting impression on a young person... and confirm a vocation.
"A little piece of you in space
Camille Cambon's passion for astronomy and stargazing dates back to her childhood in Villetelle, Hérault. During her engineering studies at La Rochelle, she chose to do her first internship at the University Space Center. The year was 2015, and the student nanosatellite Robusta-1B, which had been launched three years earlier, was entering its final manufacturing phase. The student gets down to work: she tests the solar panels that will be fitted, integrates the battery and uses 3D printing to manufacture parts for the final tests.
Camille Cambon will then have to wait two years, along with her fellow trainees, before seeing their collective work take to the skies. Following a rocket explosion, the company originally responsible for the launch changed its schedule. On June 23, the satellite finally left Earth from India.
On this day, student interns and CSU supervisors gather before dawn to watch the launch on the big screen. Excitement gives way to wonder. " It was strange to see the satellite go. When something you've touched leaves the Earth, it's as if there's a little part of you in space," says the doctoral student. Added to the feeling of magic is the pride of a job well done. The satellite is operational, sending daily signals to gather data on the effects of radiation on electronic components. At the end of its two-year mission, Robusta-1B will plummet to Earth, burning up as it enters the atmosphere.
Absolute rigor
This challenging mission has only strengthened Camille Cambon's enthusiasm for space. " The constraints are extreme: strong vibrations, heat or cold, vacuum, radiation. A simple piece of glue can explode in space! Very demanding, space teaches us to be absolutely rigorous ". In 2017, the young woman worked on a new CSU nanosatellite, Robusta-3A. At 23, she is now starting a thesis with the i2s doctoral school on the subject of 3D printing, which holds great promise for the space industry. Afterwards, she hopes to join a major company such as ArianeGroup or Airbus Defence and Space. Her eyes and work are always focused on the cosmos.
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