University of Louisiana team building satellite to send into orbit

[NewsCopy]

  From outer space, the distance between Lafayette and Kazakhstan probably does not seem that great. Even back on Earth, technology is collapsing the distance between these two communities, as we were reminded by the recent launch of CAPE1, a small satellite designed and built by students at the University of Louisiana.

CAPE stands for Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experiment. The project is part of Cubesat, which allows universities to cheaply launch satellites, an invaluable experience for students.

CAPE1, recently launched along with six other university satellites from a site in Kazakhstan, is the first satellite designed, built and launched by a Louisiana university. The satellite is one of the first of its kind in the South, said Professor Robert Henry, who heads UL’s Department of Electric and Computer Engineering.

CAPE1 was launched using a modified former intercontinental ballistic missile. ULL students and faculty already have received messages from the satellite, a kind of demonstration project to give students experience in satellite science. In the future, the CAPE team could build a satellite that does more than transmit information about itself, Henry said.

We salute ULL faculty members and students who participated in the CAPE project. Their accomplishment promises to advance ULL’s reputation for applied science, and that’s good news for everyone in Louisiana.

The rest of the story

Advocate

[CajunSaint]

THE university of louisiana: propelling america into the 21st century. geaux cajuns!

[BeauCajun]

BC #2 did a little bit of work on this project during his last semester.

Nice of those other fine institutions to jump on board our CAPE tails.

[Ned Clampett]

_ BC #2 did a little bit of work on this project during his last semester.

Nice of those other fine institutions to jump on board our CAPE tails. _

Lil Ned is working on the new one.

[CajunFun]

I think the two things that really stand out here are that NASA selected UL, and the company we're with. Goddard Space Flight, JPL, MIT, the Naval and Military Academies, Colorado, and a few other lightweights.

Not too shabby.