Signals from Outer Space: Contact made with TU Satellites

“Moments like these are the pinnacle of working in aerospace - successfully establishing first contact with satellites, sitting in the Mission Control Center surrounded by the people who made it all possible. The atmosphere is absolutely electric and exhilarating,” says Sasha Kapitola, research associate at the Chair of Space Technology at TU Berlin. In the video, you can watch how TU’s two nanosatellites from the NanoFF project sent a signal back to Earth after several weeks travelling through space onboard a transfer vehicle.
The journey began on 1 December 2023 at 19:19 CET, when TU satellites 28 and 29 took off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California with a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Six weeks later, they were ejected from the transfer vehicle. NanoFF B was the first to deliver a signal to the Mission Control Center of the Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (ILR) on 10 January 2024. The team waited with bated breath until NanoFF A reported back on 15 January in what was an emotional moment for all involved. Sascha Kapitola and Debdeep Roychowdhury reveal what findings the scientists hope to gain from the interaction between the satellites and what else is planned for NanoFF.
The video “Formation Flight in Orbit: Two Nanosatellites Launched into Space“ shows the successful rocket launch on 1 December 2023: • Formationsflug im Orbi...
Stay up to date with the project here: www.tu.berlin/raumfahrttechni...
Don’t forget to follow the Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics at TU Berlin on X: / tubspace