The first two Moroccan university nanosatellites, “UM5-EOSat” and “UM5-Ribat”, were recently launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California (USA).
The project, carried out on August 16 at 19:56, is the fruit of collaboration between Mohammed V University in Rabat, the National Centre for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST) and the Moroccan Royal Centre for Space Studies and Research, says Mohammed V University in Rabat in a press release.
This synergy aims to train a new generation of Moroccan university researchers and engineers in the field of space technologies, the same source notes.
Each of the two satellites has a mass of less than 4 kg and a volume of 300 x 100 x 100 mm, says the press release, adding that “UM5-EOSat” is equipped with a camera for Earth Observation missions, while “UM5-Ribat” is equipped with a software-defined radio (SDR).
The latter, continues the same source, will carry out telecommunications missions, including locating airliners (ADS-B) and ships (AIS), as well as collecting data from ground terminals (IoT).
Their in-orbit reprogrammable design illustrates the expertise developed within the Mohammed V University, enabling satellite functionalities to be adjusted or modified in flight as required.
The data collected by the nanosatellites will be made available to national universities, according to the same source.
This achievement illustrates “the Moroccan University's commitment to academic and scientific excellence, and embodies the Kingdom's influence, under the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, in the field of fundamental and applied research in space technologies,” the press release concludes.
