Program
The AUSSP participants are currently building the first student satellite in Alabama history. It is named AubieSat-1 and it will proudly represent our university in space. AubieSat-1 is an aluminum-alloy cube with 4-inch sides and weighs 2.2 lbs. A picture of the external structure is provided. The satellite is covered with solar cells that generate power and has two lithium ion batteries to store power on the spacecraft. An onboard microprocessor is able to measure and store temperature, voltage, current, and payload data from different sensors on the satellite. The satellite communicates using amateur radio frequencies, which allows anyone worldwide to listen to the satellite. As a payload, AubieSat-1 will transmit images of Earth from space and measure the Earth’s magnetic field. The data from the satellite will be transmitted to our ground station located in the physics department. A picture of students working on the ground station is provided. Most of the electronics on AubieSat-1 will be custom made by Auburn students. These electronics will be put on printed circuit boards, which will be stacked on top of each other. A picture of the internal stack structure is provided.