Bath in Space!
TOPCAT – Topside Ionosphere Computer Assisted Tomography
A team from the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering have been shortlisted to fly their payload (TOPCAT) on the first UK CubeSat.
A CubeSat is a miniaturised satellite. The UK Space Agency’s pilot programme, UKube 1, will select three winning entries to be flown. The competition is amongst companies and academia. Each group is competing to come up with the most innovative idea, whilst ensuring it is suitable for flight in space.
The TOPCAT payload will consist of a specialised dual-frequency GPS receiver that is suitable for operation in the space environment and can help to understand ‘Space Weather’ (see http://www.spaceweather.com/)
The payload is being developed by first year PhD student Talini Pinto Jayawardena – a Bath Space Science and Technology MEng graduate – supported by staff members Cathryn Mitchell, Robert Watson and Julian Rose, and externally by Chronos Technology, RAL and MSSL. It is expected to be completed by June 2011.
The TOPCAT team is very grateful to the University for the support they have received in funding a PhD studentship. They also wish to express great thanks to the Bath Alumni Fund for providing financial support, enabling the project to be integrated with undergraduate courses. The project has already generated scientific interest from colleagues at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Mullard Space Science Laboratory and from a science company in the US. A UK SME Chronos Technology UK have offered their expertise and facilities in support.
