A satellite orbiting Earth, while collecting key data on temperature, pressure, and radiation, is becoming a reality thanks to the efforts of a dedicated student team and PhotonFirst
Aster, a Student Team's Journey into Space
Meet Aster, an ambitious student team at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). Their mission? To move Eindhoven, a city traditionally known for its high-tech industry (Brainport), into the exciting area of space exploration. Although TU/e lacks a dedicated Aerospace Engineering program, Aster demonstrates the city's potential in this field.
Icarus Takes Flight with A High-Altitude Balloon Mission
Aster recently took a significant step towards their goal with the successful launch and retrieval of their prototype satellite, aptly named "Icarus," using a high-altitude balloon. This mission, named "Hydrogen", aimed to test the satellite's ability to withstand the harsh conditions of space, particularly the extreme temperatures and pressure encountered at high altitudes and near-space circumstances.
PhotonFirst's Contribution in Space Tech
PhotonFirst provided a crucial functionality for Icarus: a Fiber Optic Sensing (FOS) solution consisting of an interrogator connected to Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. These sensors, connected via 1 fiber cable, are capable of measuring multiple details at the same time, such as temperature, pressure, radiation, and mechanical stress. Since this technology is not negatively affected by e.g. electro magnetic fields and/or strongly fluctuating weather conditions, it is perfectly suitable for use in structural asset monitoring in space, and other demanding circumstances.
By integrating this innovative technology into Icarus, Aster and PhotonFirst demonstrated the potentials of Fiber Optic Sensing in space science and engineering.
Mission Accomplished
The high-altitude balloon mission proved to be a great success. Icarus reached an impressive altitude of 34.8 kilometers before making a safe return, ‘only’ 250 kilometers from its lift-off area. More importantly, the mission effectively tested both the satellite's resilience and the functionality of PhotonFirst's FBG sensor technology under near-space conditions.
PhotonFirst's FBG Technology
The mission's success shows the great potential of PhotonFirst's FBG sensor technology for aerospace applications. Our innovative solution offers a compact and versatile way to monitor assets, even in demanding environments such as space.
A Bright Future for Eindhoven's Space Industry
The success of the Hydrogen mission is a significant milestone for Aster and Eindhoven's potential in space industry, despite not having a dedicated aerospace engineering program. The collaboration between Aster and PhotonFirst exemplifies the power of innovation and industry-academia partnerships.
Team Manager Fares Abuelhassan on the team's collaboration with PhotonFirst:
"The collaboration with PhotonFirst was excellent. The team was always ready and showed a high level of enthusiasm throughout the project. Good and approachable communication ensured that they were constantly well informed of progress, and any questions or challenges were addressed quickly and appropriately. In addition, their expertise in photonic sensor technology was invaluable. They were happy to share their knowledge, which helped us tremendously to achieve the best results together.
As a student team, this collaboration gave us a much better understanding of the system integration process. It was a collaboration characterized by professionalism, openness and a shared passion for innovation.
The technology itself was very interesting for us, and are very happy that we were able to contribute to developments in photonics!"
What this means for PhotonFirst's Customers
This successful mission using our FBG sensor technology highlights the capabilities and potential of our solutions in extreme environments. PhotonFirst is at the forefront of developing innovative photonic solutions, and our collaboration with Aster demonstrates the real-world applications of our technology.
Are you interested in learning more about PhotonFirst's FBG sensor technology and its potential applications?
