UVic students and grads finally got to launch their satellite project into space after a week of delays due to weather conditions.
The ORCASat project was the brainchild of UVic students and the winner of a national competition that gained it access to SpaceX’s restocking mission to the International Space Station.
The ORCASat project is a groundbreaking piece of technology that will make it easier for ground-based telescopes to view stars under ideal conditions.
The satellite has two lasers on board that measure and take reference to true conditions for how much light a celestial object, such as a star, is emitting. The satellite will send that information to ground telescopes so they can view these objects with a clearer view.
Originally, the satellite was meant to launch on Tuesday, November 22nd. A group of UVic students were invited to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA to watch the launch of their hard work into space.
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UVic students to send satellite into space on NASA’s next launch and you can watch it live
Unfortunately for the students, the weather conditions were not ideal for launch on Tuesday and the launch was delayed to Sunday, November 27th.
The students were not able to remain out of the country for the launch of the ORCASat. They had to return home to watch the launch live online via NASA’s website like the rest of the world.
The launch on Sunday was successful even though the UVic students were not able to be on hand for the event.
The Falcon 9 rocket will have since rendezvoused with the International Space Station. The ORCASat will soon be deployed and the UVic students will monitor its mission to collect data for 18 months as it travels through space.
