MESAT 1

MESAT 1 [University of Maine]

MESAT 1 (Maine Satellite 1) is an education mission that includes three payloads developed by students in Falmouth High school, Fryeburg Academy, and Saco Middle School. The University of Maine and USM engineering teams are collaborating on building the satellite and getting it ready for launch in collaboration with AMSAT and NERRS.

MESAT 1 is an 3U CubeSat hosting three payloads. The ALBEDO payload investigates the impact of albedo (fraction of solar irradiation reflected back into space) on local temperatures across urban and rural areas. The IMAGER payload will study a low-cost remote sensing tool for coastal estuaries. The HAB payload will study harmful algal blooms to see if they increase atmospheric temperature and water vapor levels in the atmosphere above them.

The LTM-1 transponder, provided by AMSAT, will serve as a linear transponder for amateur radio operators to use for recreation and practice in addition to supporting telemetry and command with the satellite systems. This operation will provide education and training in the radio arts for students at the University of Maine, as they monitor onboard systems and receive telemetry and data from the onboard sensors, including remote sensors. The spacecraft will also carry an L-band GlobalStar transmitter with a carrier frequency of 1616.25 MHz. This will be used along with the onboard GPS receiver, to provide early mission TLEs. In the 2nd phase of the mission, LTM-1 will be used as linear transponder, command uplinking, and TLM downlinks. The EyeStar Globalstar radio will then be decommissioned and no longer transmitting.

It was selected in 2020 by NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) to be launched as part of the ELaNa program.