On Thursday, April 18th, a launch party was held at Memorial University to celebrate the release of the Killick-1 satellite from the International Space Station.
This was a special celebration: the Killick-1, a CubeSat, a small bread-loaf-sized satellite, was built by MUN students and their supervisors and supporters from C-CORE and the Faculty of Engineering.
The Killick-1 is the first CubeSat built from a Newfoundland-based project, designed to monitor and collect sea-ice information from space. The project has spanned many years, with the early stages of its inception beginning in 2018.
Initially, the project faced challenges regarding satellite integration and launch preparation, and multiple previous launch dates were unmet due to various design, software, and structural issues.
Muneeb Azher has worked on the Killick-1 project for two years, beginning as a work-term student at C-CORE.
“It has been a bit of a challenging task, to say the least,” says Azher. “We put a lot of work and thought into every aspect of the design, so we want to get it right.”
The launch
The nerves were palpable while watching the launch livestream, yet it was a success. At approximately 3:25 pm on April 18th, the Killick-1 launched from the ISS.
“Seeing the satellite eject was definitely a moment of relief for me,” says Azher.
Future plans
With the satellite officially in space, the first task will be to transmit signals and extract the intended scientific data on ice in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Killick-1’s function is both relevant and beneficial to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, specifically those working in Ocean-marine industries.
“Oceanography is a huge part of Newfoundland industries, and knowledge about sea ice is a crucial part,” says Azher. “The means of having an earth observation satellite to collect information that we would normally collect from other parties is not only more environmentally friendly because of its small size, which carries less of a carbon footprint than heavier systems, but it is specific to us, and it will serve people working in those industries who rely on that knowledge.”
Despite the various challenges and outcomes faced by the team, Azher claims that the Killick-1 project has, at its core, been a major learning experience.
“I hope this project can open the door for people interested and passionate about working in space technology to continue to help those in Newfoundland and Labrador, and I hope the things we learned will be for the betterment of future projects,” he says.