Tel Aviv University is establishing a new "space center" to develop shoebox-size nanosatellites designed to provide affordable answers to specific scientific questions.
The tiny satellites, which can be assembled quickly and at a relatively low cost to the university, are to be used for research in a wide variety of fields: environmental monitoring, polar icebergs, animal migration, geophysics, geography, atmospheric research, meteorology, biology and medicine. They can be used to monitor air pollution, rain forests and more.
"Until recently, scientists who wanted to use satellites for their research needed the services of large satellites, usually operated by governments and armies," said Professor Colin Price, head of the Porter School, who heads the initiative together with Dr. Meir Ariel, head of the Herzliya Science Center.
"The new space system frees them from this dependence, allowing them much greater flexibility in using satellites for research," Price said.
According to Price, the new space approach was made possible by the miniaturization revolution. Each nanosatellite will be equipped with a variety of cameras and/or tiny sensors, depending on its designated mission, along with an antenna enabling it to transmit data to the ground.
A nanosatellite takes about two years to build, far less time than the 10 and sometimes 20 years it takes to build a large satellite. The cost of constructing and launching a nanosatellite is only about $500,000, compared to hundreds of millions of dollars needed for a conventional satellite.
