ukuFundiSat Satellite Building Course
Building the future, today.
Need
The space economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. Estimated at being worth over a trillion dollars by 2030, countries worldwide are rushing to tap into this exciting field. Space solutions provide not only the opportunity for economic growth, but offer to help solve some of the most pressing issues faced by nations across the world.
However, without an active space program focused on education, it can be difficult to share practical skills, inspire and grow the next generation of space leaders.
Hands on satellite training
The ukuFunidiSat course is a hands-on satellite building short course developed in South Africa. During the course students are taught the fundamentals of the space economy and how missions are designed, all while assembling and programming a representative satellite.
By slowly building the satellite subsystem by subsystem, students develop a comprehensive understanding of how satellites work and operate in space. This foundation not only inspires the space engineers and scientists of the future, but provides them with the overview they need to better understand the industry, the various niche aspects of it and how they can contribute to its growth.
Parts of the ukuFundiSat kit
ADCS
Structure
Solar panel
Groundstation
OBC+Radio
EPS
Concepts covered
-
History of space
-
Orbits
-
The African space sector
-
The new space industry
-
What are CubeSats
-
How to design a space mission
-
Simulating satellite missions
-
Power in space
-
Power budgets
-
Switching power channels
-
Battery management
-
Serial communication
-
Satellite communication
-
Satellite radio systems
-
Satellite command handling
-
Communication with groundsations
- Attitude determination and the sensors commonly used
- Controlling attitude with magnetorquers
- Satellite payloads
​
​
- And more!
Course format
The course as it is currently laid out, is designed to be completed over a weekend. Students will be working in groups of 2-4 and will require at minimum a laptop on which to program the system and access to the internet.
​
The course is suitable to a wide range of students, from high-schoolers to entry level professionals. The kit utilizes the user-friendly MicroBit system and is accessible to students with little to no programming experience. The course will naturally scale in complexity with the group of students.
Acknowledgements
The ukuFundiSat is directly inspired by the amazing efforts of the HEPTA-SAT team and their course. If you are ever in the position to be able to attend their course, we highly recommend you do so.
​
Interested? Why not get in touch!
