ESP's flagship project is a 3U CubeSat designed, built and tested by SAIT students. Circuit boards, radios, firmware and structure, all made by the team.
Early numbers. Every value here gets revisited at each design review, and this table changes when they do.
| Form factor | 3U CubeSat, 10 × 10 × 34 cm |
|---|---|
| Primary goal | Design, build and operate a working satellite with subsystems made by members |
| Candidate payload | Bosch BME690 gas sensor Trade study |
| Flight computer | ESP32-S3 Candidate |
| Radio band | To be decided Open |
| Orbit | Low Earth orbit, set by launch opportunity |
| Ground station | Calgary, site to be chosen Planned |
| Funding target | CSA CUBICS Applying |
| Current phase | Concept study Active |
Every member joins at least one team. Teams meet at build nights and own their part of the satellite, from requirements through testing. The ESP exec team leads the project, and every subsystem lead role is open.
Gets data down to the ground and commands back up: the radio, the antennas and their deployment, and the link budget that says whether any of it closes.
The satellite's brain: an ESP32-S3 board running flight software that schedules everything, stores data and recovers from faults on its own.
Solar cells, the battery, and the boards that charge, protect and distribute power to every other subsystem.
Works out which way the satellite is pointing and turns it. For a 3U that usually means magnetometers, sun sensors and magnetorquers.
The reason we fly. Our leading candidate is the Bosch BME690 gas sensor. The concept study decides what it should measure, or whether another payload fits better.
The aluminium frame, deployable antennas and panels, and keeping the whole satellite inside its mass and thermal limits.
The antennas, receivers and software here in Calgary that track passes and talk to the satellite. It can listen to satellites already in orbit long before ours flies.
Keeps the project moving: documentation, design review packages, sponsorship, funding applications, and telling people what we're building.
Each phase ends with a review where people outside the team check our work. Dates get set once the team is formed.
Mission goals, payload trade study, radio band, first power, mass and link budgets.
Architecture, interface control documents and breadboard prototypes. Ends with the PDR.
Final schematics, layouts and firmware plans, frozen at the CDR.
Engineering model first, then the flight model, thermal and vibration testing.
Integration with the launch provider, then operating passes from our ground station.
The club is open to everyone. The CubeSat team is selective, because members commit real time to flight hardware and to each other. Here's how selection works.
Tell us what you want to work on and a project you're proud of. At least 150 words.
The exec team reads every application, usually within two weeks.
A short conversation with the execs on campus. Everyone accepted has one.
You'll hear back by email, then join a subsystem team and your first design session.
Not ready yet? Join the club and start with smaller projects.