Sharjah24: To celebrate the coming launch of the Sharjah-Sat-1 3U CubeSat, the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST) of the University of Sharjah (UoS) has organised a special workshop to discuss the different subsystems of the Sharjah-Sat-1.
The CubeSat Laboratory engineers have presented in great detail each subsystem and its role in the overall function of the satellite, with the attendance of a large audience of students and research assistants.
Professor Ilias Fernini, Director of the Department of Space Sciences, extended a warm welcome to all the workshop participants during his opening remarks. The academy, he explained, is committed to serving and educating the public about all areas of space science, pointing out that SAASST aims to provide students and researchers with the necessary professional experience and scientific knowledge for their careers in all areas of space science. The workshop organizers stressed that participants would be able to learn about Sharjah-Sat-1 CubeSat, which is slated to be launched next December. They also emphasized that staying abreast of the latest worldwide developments in astronomy and space exploration is important.
There were several topics covered during the workshop by the CubeSat Laboratory Engineers. First, Eng. Maryam Al-Ansari introduced CubeSats and gave a brief overview of the Sharjah Sat-1 Mission. Second, Eng. Maryam Sharif gave an overview of one of the satellite subsystems, the Sharjah Sat-1 Command and Data Handling (C&DH) Subsystem, which is part of the Sharjah Sat-1 satellite. Furthermore, she presented the hardware and software components of the system, discussed the links between the payload and the various subsystems, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the system.
On the other hand, Eng. Yousuf Faroukh presented the Attitude Determination & Control Subsystem on board Sharjah-Sat-1, regarded as a critical satellite component. Its primary function is to point and orient the satellite's camera and antenna towards the ground station for the data to be received and analyzed. Then, Eng. Ibrahim elaborated on the design, objectives, requirements, integration, and testing of the Sharjah-Sat-1 communication subsystem, which consists of two components, an S-band and UHF/VHF module and antenna.
In her presentation, Eng. Fatima Alketbi discussed the power subsystem of the Sharjah-Sat-1, which relies on solar power energy to generate the electrical power necessary to operate. Five solar panels cover the outer structure of the CubeSat, where they convert the incident solar light into electrical power. A battery is also included in the Sharjah-Sat-1 as a means of powering the other subsystems of the satellite during the time of the eclipse in the orbit of the satellite.
A key point that Eng. Tarifa Al-Kaabi made at the end of the workshop was the importance of the structure subsystem in protecting and supporting all the other subsystems of the CubeSat to ensure the project's success. In addition to the structural and thermal analyses carried out during the design phase, the experimental tests carried out to verify the integrity of the design were also explained.
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