Headed into space as part of NASA initiative

Maine’s first small research satellite for launch in next three years

Headed into space as part of NASA initiative

Maine’s first small research satellite for launch in next three years

CubeSATNASA selected 18 small research satellites to fly as auxiliary payloads aboard rockets launching between 2021 and 2023.

And the University of Maine, University of Southern Maine, Saco Middle School, Fryeburg Academy and Falmouth High School are on board, so to speak.

NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative provides opportunities for nanosatellite science and technology payloads built by universities and schools to ride share on space launches. CubeSats — a small spacecraft — can measure as small as 4 inches on each side and weigh fewer than 3 pounds.

Maine’s CubeSat is MESAT1. UMaine professor of electrical and computer engineering Ali Abedi leads the project with USM professor of physics Jeremy Qualls and Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve director Jason Goldstein.

Saco Middle School’s payload will compare temperature and albedo (fraction of solar irradiation reflected back into space) across urban and rural areas to determine whether urban heat islands can be mitigated through architectural designs that maximize albedo. 

Fryeburg Academy will modify a digital camera to image shallow, coastal waters to distinguish water quality properties, including turbidity and phytoplankton concentration. The goal is to develop a low-cost remote sensing tool for coastal estuaries.  

And Falmouth High School will examine whether harmful algal blooms (HABs) increase atmospheric temperature and water vapor levels in the air above them. If a correlation is established, it will be easier to detect when an algal bloom is growing.

MESAT1 received $300,000 from NASA, $150,000 from the NASA Maine Space Grant Consortium for graduate student research, and $72,000 from UMaine and USM.

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