AFRL nanosat program gets projects into space

  • Published
  • By Ryan Stark
  • Nucleus staff writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  A program at Kirtland's Air Force Research Laboratory has engineering students design, build and launch satellites into space, all before they're even out of graduate school.

Through the University Nanosat Program, tomorrow's stars of aerospace -- along with their universities and AFRL -- test systems and compo And it is relatively cost-effective, according to Kyle Kemble, a contractor with ATA Aerospace working at AFRL, who oversees the UNP and says the emphasis of the program is on testing basic components and concepts before including them in operational satellites.

"One of the things we try to look it is, 'Is there an augment capability? Is there a technology demonstration capability?'" he said. "We understand that this is not a mission that will go operational."

Kemble speaks from experience. Just a few years ago, he took part in a nanosat project as a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Now in its eighth two-year cycle, higher-learning institutions from across the country participate in the nanosat program. Past and current schools include Arizona State University, Buffalo University, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Cornell, the University of Texas, New Mexico State University and the University of California at Los Angeles, among many others.

The program mirrors the AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate project, Kemble said.

First, schools submit proposals for their nanosat project. Selected projects enter into a two-year cycle and AFRL's Air Force Office of Scientific Research provides $55,000 in project funding each year. Program managers vet the work and select the nanosats with the greatest promise. Those projects are tested by AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, and are assessed to find the appropriate launch method.

The launch methods range from something simple, such as having the payload ejected from an expendable rocket stage, to having a payload launched by astronauts on the International Space Station. Launch coordination is done in partnership with the SMC/Space Test Program at Kirtland.

Kemble worked on all phases of the development of his project. He even bolted the nanosat to its rocket.

"There has to be some military relevance associated with each mission," Kemble said.

Once the projects are selected and teams begin designing the satellites, it's up to the individual teams, not AFRL, to make it a success.

"It's up to the school," Kemble said. "We're always making sure that everyone understands that it's the university's mission. They will maintain spacecraft control authority."

This ownership is a key part of the educational process and one of the main reasons for the success of the program, according to David Voss, Program Manager for UNP.

AFRL can help the students and universities find the best ways to apply the benefits of their nanosat missions once they are complete. They also help mentor the teams through the many challenges of Space Vehicle systems engineering.

"We really strive to have them find an end customer for their data," Kemble said. "That's the partnership aspect."

Two members of AFRL's summer scholars program, Lina Al-Omari of Michigan Tech and Nathan Barnwell of the University of Florida, are representing their respective colleges in the nanosat competition while pursuing graduate degrees in aerospace engineering.

"It's kind of hard to communicate with personnel at AFRL if they're on a base and were at a university, so the hope was to send me and another UF student to bridge the communication gaps, check out resources and get help with certain aspects of our project," Barnwell said.

More than 4,000 students have participated in various aspects of UNP, Voss said. Students have gone on to work at a broad range of aerospace companies and national labs, he said.

To learn more about the program, visit their website at prs.afrl.kirtland.af.mil/UNP.