Seven engineering students from Stellenbosch University (SU) have been selected to represent South Africa at a global space engineering competition.
This is according to Dr Arno Barnard, senior lecturer in electrical and electronic engineering at SU and supervisor of the students’ satellite concept project, Stellenbosch Lunar Interferometric Network for Quasi-static Imaging (SLINQI).
So far, only two of the students, Nortier Geyer and Jandré Frey, will present the SLINQI concept at the Mission Idea Contest (MIC): to the Moon in Tokyo, Japan, on 1 November, said Barnard.
“Other students are still trying to get funding,” he said.
A diagram of the Stellenbosch Lunar Interferometric Network for Quasi-static Imaging, a satellite concept model that was developed by a group of engineering students at Stellenbosch University (SU), according to Dr Arno Barnard, supervisor of the project and senior lecturer in electrical and electronic engineering at SU. The students will use the satellite concept to compete at the Mission Idea Contest: to the Moon, said Barnard. ILLUSTRATION: Supplied/Nortier Geyer
“SLINQI is a satellite mission idea that we took on as a side project,” said Geyer, an MEng (Electronic Engineering) student at SU and the team’s spokesperson, in correspondence with SMF News.
Although it is only an idea developed for the competition, it is “designed for real-world application”, according to Geyer.
The SLINQI satellite is envisioned as a shoebox-sized model that could travel to “the far side of the moon, free from Earth’s noise, [where] it would work together with [another] identical SLINQI satellite to create detailed ‘snapshots’ of space, using radio waves instead of light”, explained Geyer.
“This [would let] us detect cosmic signals that can’t be picked up from Earth,” said Geyer. “This [would help] us explore parts of the universe we’ve never been able to study clearly before.”
‘A new facet of space exploration’
The competition allows students to benchmark their skills against top students from other countries, exchange ideas, and bring back knowledge that can inspire innovation in South Africa, according to Barnard.
“It also shows the world that South Africa is a serious player in the global space and engineering community,” said Barnard.
A group of MEng (Electronic Engineering) students at Stellenbosch University (SU) who will soon present their satellite concept project, Stellenbosch Lunar Interferometric Network for Quasi-static Imaging, at the Mission Idea Contest: to the Moon in Tokyo, according to Dr Arno Barnard, senior lecturer in electrical and electronic engineering at SU and supervisor of the students’ project. From left to right: Nortier Geyer, Petrus Marais, Russouw Grobbelaar, Danie Gouws, Michael Esterhuyse, Sazi Nkosi, and Jandré Frey. PHOTO: Onthatile Mahlangu
“The primary goal of MIC is to open the door to a new facet of space exploration and exploitation,” said Rei Kawashima, committee chair for international relations for the MIC, in correspondence with SMF News.
The MIC was established in 2010 to provide aerospace engineers, college students, consultants, and anybody interested in space with opportunities to present their creative ideas and gain international attention, according to Kawashima.
Teams are judged on originality, societal impact, scientific value, engineering solutions, operational planning, and the feasibility of their project in terms of cost, schedule, and infrastructure, said Kawashima.
A team of MEng (Electronic Engineering) students at Stellenbosch University (SU) present a diagram of the satellite concept they submitted to the Mission Idea Contest: to the Moon. They have been selected to represent South Africa at the MIC in Tokyo, according to Dr Arno Barnard, a senior lecturer in electrical and electronic engineering at SU and supervisor of the students’ satellite project, Stellenbosch Lunar Interferometric Network for Quasi-static Imaging. PHOTO: Onthatile Mahlangu
According to Barnard, they are a motivated, multidisciplinary team skilled in aerospace systems, robotics, electronics, and problem-solving. He also said that creating the project outside the team’s main research field of electronic engineering shows their dedication and passion.
The team hopes to learn how other countries approach space innovation, from mission design to collaboration strategy, said Barnard.
They want to return with new ideas and inspiration to share with South African students, so that the students can see themselves contributing to global space exploration one day, he said.
The Stellenbosch University (SU) engineering faculty, where Dr Arno Barnard, supervisor of the Stellenbosch Lunar Interferometric Network for Quasi-static Imaging (SLINQI) concept project and senior lecturer in electrical and electronic engineering, works. According to Barnard, the university is supporting seven MEng (Electronic Engineering) students who will present the SLINQI concept at the Mission Idea Contest (MIC): to the Moon with technical guidance and resources, and is sponsoring two students to attend the Tokyo conference. PHOTO: Onthatile Mahlangu