AGH students have won prestigious satellite technology competition in the US

The team AGH Space Systems. Source: AGH
The team AGH Space Systems. Source: AGH

Planetary probe built by students of AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków won an international competition in the United States. According to the university spokesman, it is the largest and most prestigious satellite technology competition for students.

AGH spokesman Bartosz Dembiński reported that in the CanSat Competition finals that just ended in Texas the Space System AGH team defeated 59 teams from all over the world and took first place. The competition is organized by the American Astronautical Society (AAS), American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the US space agency NASA.

The team of Kraków\'s AGH were the only Polish representatives in the competition. For the students from the Science Club "Cyborg" at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering it was also a debut in this competition.

The aim of the competition is to simulate probe’s travel through the planet\'s atmosphere while recording complex telemetry data during the descent. In the final stage, the young designers’ task was to present the capabilities of their planetary probes, which - lifted by a rocket to 1 km altitude - would collect information about the atmosphere and the planet. The rocket used by the AGH Space System team was constructed by the Polish Rocket Society.

The probe built by AGH students has sensors that perform precision altitude measurements, measure the internal and ambient temperature, flight status, stability parameters, power level and angle of descent. All these data are transmitted to the ground station by radio modules.

All sensors are placed in a glass fibre housing. It also houses a parachute and protective capsule, which during the event carries an extremely delicate test load - an egg, because bonus points are awarded for delivery of the egg intact back to the ground.

During the final competition in Burkett, Texas, AGH students beat 59 teams, including representatives of the most prestigious universities in the United States, Canada, India, Great Britain and Turkey.

The Polish team members are seven students: Adam Kurzak (leader), Bartosz Postulka (mechanical design), Bartosz Moczała (electronics), Jakub Rachucki (ground station), Robert Betka (flight control system), Weronika Mrozińska (cargo safety system) and Tomasz Fuchs (mechanics and organization). Team supervisor is Dr. Tomasz Buratowski.

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