Mission completed

Graz nanosatellite burns up in Earth’s atmosphere

Künstlerische Illustration: Der Nanosatellit OPS-SAT im Erdorbit

(Bild: ESA)

After around four and a half years in space, the small Austrian satellite OPS-SAT, built by the Graz University of Technology (TU) on behalf of the ESA, passed away as planned at 11.30 p.m. on Wednesday and burned up in the Earth's atmosphere, as the TU announced on Thursday.

The so-called Cubesat, which weighs around 4.6 kilograms and measures just 30 x 10 x 10 centimetres, began its journey into a polar, sun-synchronous circular orbit at an altitude of around 515 kilometers from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 18 December 2019.

Graz built system on behalf of ESA
The ESA mission OPS-SAT was designed as a "flying laboratory" in which innovative technologies for space applications were tested and evaluated under real conditions in space. TU Graz was commissioned by the space agency to design the mission in order to test technologies such as powerful processors, radio receivers and software in orbit at low risk.

What is a cubesat?

Cubesats are small satellites whose basic unit is roughly cube-shaped (hence "cube"). This specification for low-cost nanosatellites developed in the USA was first used in space travel in 2004 and has since established itself as the industry standard. They are carried in a special launch device as a secondary payload during satellite launches.

Orbited the earth a total of 24,500 times
The system, which has orbited the earth a total of around 24,500 times, was operated in such a way that it anticipates elements of future ESA satellites and enables research groups from companies, universities and schools to test technologies and software in space.

On board were, for example, a camera for earth observation, a receiver for optical data transmission and a programmable radio receiver that can detect interference signals coming from earth in certain frequency ranges.

250 scientific experiments
As part of the now completed mission, "a total of more than 250 scientific experiments ranging from remote sensing to cybersecurity were carried out", according to Graz University of Technology. OPS-SAT was also one of the first satellites on which artificial intelligence (AI) applications were used more prominently.

The platform was also used for "the first share trading in space and the first chess game in orbit". In March 2023, the project received the "International Space Ops Award for Outstanding Achievement".