Achi news desk-
Hundreds of post-secondary students in New Brunswick are patiently awaiting a call from Sately Violet. The student-built project took more than five years to develop on campuses across the district and is not communicating as expected.
The satellite was delivered by rocket to the International Space Station in early March and sent into Earth’s orbit on April 18. The Sagol satellite, named after the provincial flower, is the first satellite built in New Brunswick to be launched into space.
While those long-distance calls continue to go unanswered, Troy Lavigne, one of the program’s project officers, said it wasn’t a “huge” surprise that the satellite didn’t immediately respond.
“There’s a pretty complicated system for us to communicate with Violet,” he said.
The bread-loaf-sized satellite was a joint effort of more than 300 students and faculty at the University of New Brunswick, the University of New Brunswick, the Université de Moncton, and New Brunswick Community College as part of the larger Canadian CubeSat project, which includes 15 educational institutions across the country and the satellite-making nation.
Lavigne said Violet’s isolated behavior could be explained by her antennae not yet deploying. If that’s the case, the fishing line holding the antenna down is likely to melt in a few weeks.
“We chose this fishing line because we know it will naturally degrade after a few weeks in outer space… and then we can communicate with Violet,” he explained.
The purpose of the project is to study and collect data surrounding the upper part of the Earth’s atmosphere, known as the ionosphere, for between three months and two years.
Lavigne added that some problems identified at a new ground station built in New Brunswick could also have played a role, which have since been resolved.
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“We received radio receptions from other satellites, so we are working on the possibility that we are sending a command to Violet but we are not able to receive (a response),” he said.
If the satellite’s radio silence was not caused by any of the scenarios mentioned, one possibility remains that could result in Violet finally relaying information back to Earth—or provide an abrupt end to its long-awaited journey into outer space.
The researchers hope that Violet will provide information about the ions, where “ultraviolet light and solar radiation cause electrons to break free from their atomic and molecular bonds and leave behind ions,” according to the UNB news release.
Anna Mandin/Global News
“If the antenna is stored, then (information) will not transmit because it is damaged,” Lavin continued, adding that a secondary command of “transmit whether the antenna is deployed or not” can be sent after several more weeks of waiting.
“Even though it might cause damage to Violet, it’s a risk we’re willing to take instead of not knowing if Violet is ever able to respond. We’ll only do it after a few weeks have passed and we’ve decided it’s worth the risk.”
Despite the initial lack of communication so far, Lavigne said his team is not giving up.
“Violet could have been harmed and she may never respond. We hope that is not the case and we are working on all those possibilities.”
Either way, he said the project will be considered a resounding success, as the goal has always been to properly prepare the next generation of space industry professionals for careers in the field.
The student remains hopeful
Samiha Lubaba, a graduate student at the University of New Brunswick, was recruited to the Violet team in August 2023 and is still assisting with communications efforts in the field.
Although everything seemed to respond accordingly when Violet was still in the possession of the crew on Earth, Lubba said that troubleshooting is a more complicated process once the satellite is hovering overhead.
“There are so many things involved in the media,” she said, adding that her team will keep trying despite not getting the response they expected.
Although the lack of communication is stressful, Lubba said her research team still has about “seven or eight” alternative solutions that could result in Violet delivering the first piece of data the ground station crew is so desperate to hear.
“I believe it will work,” she said. “Maybe it takes a little time, but I’m not without hope. Maybe it will take two, three weeks or more.”
If Team Violet manages to overcome the communication dilemma and contact its surrounding friend, Lubba said she will be greatly relieved.
– with files from Ana Mandin
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
