APTAS @ Nanosats Database

Name	APTAS (Atmospheric Polar Transmission Alignment Satellite)
Type	CubeSat
Units or mass	1U
Status	not launched, expected in 2023
Organisation	Luleå University of Technology (LTU)
Institution	University
Entity	Academic / Education
Nation	Sweden
Oneliner	Educational mission with antenna calibration and camera payloads.
Description	Design, build, test and operate a student CubeSat for scientific and educational purposes whilst paving the way for future generations of students who want to develop their own CubeSats. EISCAT-payload: An antenna to be used for calibration of the planned EISCAT 3D research project, a new phased-array antenna system located in northern Sweden, Norway and Finland. IRF-payload: A nadir pointing camera taking photos of auroras while flying over the poles that will contribute the aurora research at The Swedish Institute of Space Physics. EISCAT, European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association, is a scientific association that operates several radio telescopes in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Their new project, EISCAT 3D, is a new way of observing the atmosphere over big volumes. Their EISCAT 3D will be ready for operation by 2021. The EISCAT instrument on the satellite shall consist of a transmitter designed to provide a reliable calibration signal for the ground based antennas.
Sources	[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
Photo Sources	[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

APTAS (Atmospheric Polar Transmission Alignment Satellite)