Spei Satelles (SpeiSat)

Spei Satelles (SpeiSat) [Politecnico di Torino]

Spei Satelles (SpeiSat) is Vaticans’s first orbital mission.

Spei Satelles is a 3U CubeSat and weighing less than 3 kg. The external surface of the satellite is covered by solar panels, which allow the production of the electrical power necessary to power its devices.

Spei Satelles is a space mission that aims to be a sign of hope for all humanity. Promoted by the Dicastery for Communication, the mission is coordinated by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the public body that prepares and implements the Italian space policy in accordance with the Government guidelines. The mission participants include the Polytechnic University of Turin, which designed and built the satellite, and the CNR which created the nanobook from which the entire mission originated. The logo is the work of the young people of the IUSVE of Venice while the pastoral/cultural coordination was assigned to the Digital Apostolate, Archdiocese of Turin.

SpeiSat hosts several components: two on-board computers, two communication systems in the UHF band (it is therefore equipped with two antennas), a battery for energy storage, small magnets for satellite stabilization after launch and a suite of thermal and inertial sensors to collect measurements in the space environment.

Furthermore, SpeiSat physically keeps a nanobook with the Holy Father's book in his shell and a file containing the messages of hope to be spread during his journey. SpeiSat operates in low Earth orbit, more precisely in a sun-synchronous orbit at about 525 km of altitude from the Earth's surface.

The satellite is to be launched in mid 2023 on the ION-SCV 011 carrier, which is launched on a rideshare mission.