The Gurwin TechSatII will be launched from Kazakhstan on a Russian Zenith rocket. It was designed and built by a team of students and engineers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and funded by its namesake, Joseph Gurwin of Long Island, N.Y., who also funded the first Gurwin TechSat.

The two satellites cost a total of $8 million to build and launch, with the second satellite costing slightly less than half. Typical costs for a full-size satellite weighing thousands of pounds run into tens of millions. Smaller satellites can be launched riding piggyback with other microsatellites on a larger satellite, as TechSatII will be, demonstrating another advantage to launching smaller spacecraft.

TechSat will generate 20 watts of power from four solar panels. All the hardware that maintains its functioning has been designed to require less than 10 watts, leaving the rest for the payload.

Experiments will address several problems for current satellites. Communications satellites are limited in the number of channels of information they can carry in a given space. One TechSat experiment will test superconducting materials that could allow such satellites to carry more channels in a smaller space by using superconducting filters to separate channels.

Another problem is charged particles that can damage components such as computers. A charged particle detector on TechSat will determine the frequency and damaging effects of charged particles impact. This information will help improve the durability and performance of future designs.

TechSat's package also includes an ultraviolet sensor for determining the ozone content of the atmosphere and an x-ray detector for astronomical observations. A video camera able to record details as small as 171 feet will return images of the earth's surface.

Satellites often require a launch that gives them a specific orientation and a rotation that helps keep them stable. TechSat contains a stabilization system that allows it to be launched into an arbitrary orientation with no spin, and to stabilize and orient itself after release. It will provide a field test for a newly developed horizon sensor that will help the spacecraft stay pointed in the correct direction.

The satellite program at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology provides training for engineers as well as quick and inexpensive testing of new space hardware. It fosters and relies on a working relationship between industry and academia to develop low-cost, compact instruments for use in space. An algorithm developed there will be used in the next Pathfinder mission.

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Satellite Launch To Boost DTH In India
Calcutta, India (SPX) Dec 28, 2005
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