Students in orbit
With their Celesta nanosatellite, UM students have just been selected by the European Space Agency for the "Fly Your Satellite" call for projects. Students with their feet firmly on the ground, but their heads already in the stars...
Muriel Bernard (CSU supervisor), Denis Siveton, Baptiste Trotabas, Alexis Courtois, Maël Galliot, Raffaëllo Secondo, Xavier Laurand (CSU supervisor)
This latest addition is called Celesta. It is the latest in a series of satellites designed by students at the University of Montpellier. The first of these, named Robusta, took off from Kourou in 2012. Like its predecessors from the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Montpellier, Celesta belongs to the family of nanosatellites: concentrates of technology that can measure from 10 to 50 cm on a side.
University Space Center
The European Space Agency's (ESA) "Fly Your Satellite" call for projects rewards the best university nanosatellite projects from all over Europe. The success of the CELESTA project means that France is now represented among the 6 European winners: the University of Montpellier (France), the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Spain), the University College Dublin (Ireland) and Queen's University Belfast (Ireland), the Instituto Superior Técnico (Portugal), Sapienza-University of Rome (Italy), and the University of Southampton (UK).
Developed with the support of the European Nuclear Center Research , Celesta aims to measure radiation in the space environment. The winning students will receive support for their project from ESA experts, as well as a free launch from the International Space Station. This is further recognition for the Centre Spatial Universitaire (CSU) of the University of Montpellier, France's leading university space center.
Space professions
The 5 Montpellier students who went to the Netherlands to defend their nanosatellite can now savor their success. " The jury of experts was impressive, but the experience of the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Montpellier gave us confidence in the quality of the project... This victory shows the excellence of our nanosatellite training at the Centre Spatial and the University of Montpellier, which will be further enhanced with this follow-up win. It's exciting and encouraging for our future in space".
Partners of the Centre Spatial Universitaire and of the Van Allen Foundation, which supports it financially and strategically, some of the biggest names in industry are patrons, helping these students throughout their studies. Students who are building their future in a promising field: that of space-related professions.
Mini maxis
Tiny satellites, gigantic challenge. Nanosatellites represent a strategic niche in the fast-growing space discovery market. Their main advantage? Their price: a few hundred thousand euros, a thousand times less than a large geostationary satellite.
" This asset enables us to test the viability of new technologies without too much risk, for example, by assessing their resistance to cosmic radiation," explains Laurent Dusseau, Director of the Centre Spatial Universitaire. " Nanosatellites are the ultimate barrier to commercialization. In return, they benefit from pioneering technologies.