Elias AboutaniosThe QB50 Project

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QB50 – The Mission

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Why?

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QB50 Objectives• Achieve a sustained and affordable access to space for

small scale research space missions and planetary exploration

• Investigate the lower thermosphere characteristics

• Platform for technology demonstration (formation flight, ablation study, sail structure)

• Educate future engineers/scientists to build more reliable satellites

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• EU, FP7 funding – project strictly controlled by EC’s Research Executive Agency (REA)

• Project led by the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (Brussels, Belgium)

• Initial call for proposals issued on 15 Feb 2012• Deadline for proposals was 31 March (extended to end

of April)• Initially launch scheduled for mid April 2015 on a Shtil-

2.1 vehicle• Launch costs

– With sensors: 20,000 Euros for 2U, 40k for 3U– Without sensors: 60k for 2U, 90k for 3U

Call for Proposals

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Proposals received (ctd)

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• Over 70 entries received• Entries culled based on their ability to

fulfil requirements– Ability to obtain funding– Plan: is the team likely to deliver

• 50 teams remaining• Australia: 3 teams

– SuSat: University of Adelaide– Inspire-2: University of Sydney– UNSW-EC0

Satellite Entries 2015

Country EntriesAustria 1Australia 3South Africa 1Belgium 1Brazil 1Canada 2China 8Czech Republic 1Germany 1Spain 1Finland 1France 5UK 2Greece 2Israel 1India 1Italy 1Korea 2Lithuania 1Netherlands 2Protugal 1Romania 2Russia 1Trukey 2Taiwan 1Ukraine 1USA 4Total 50

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• More extensive study of the lower thermosphere than was ever possible

• Three instruments:– Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer: Study the

composition of the thermosphere– Multi-needle Langmuir probe: measure the

plasma electron density– Fipex: provides in-situ characterisation of

atomic oxygen

Science Mission

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• 36 Cubesats left• 28 cubestas launched on a ULA Atlas 5

rocket• 8 on a PSLV rocket• 10 INMS

Status 2017

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Status 2017

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QB50 Launch Campaign

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QB50 Operation Plan

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