Educational aspects of the SUNSAT microsatellite and its enabling role for other developments

SUNSAT is a 62 kg microsatellite, developed since 1992 by over fifty students participating in a M.Ing programme. The satellite carries amateur radio communications equipment, a 15 m resolution 3-colour stereo pushbroom imager, an attitude control system with 1 mrad accuracy, science quality magnetometers, laser reflectors, and a NASA GPS receiver. With launch scheduled for May 1997, the skills pool established in the Electronic Systems Laboratory is now also being applied to industrial work, particularly for process control. Students involved in SUNSAT have obtained graduate course knowledge, as well as practical development experience while working in a team on a complex system. They have also been exposed to systems engineering and project management.