UCL Build and Launch Cube Satellites

8 June 2017

Last week saw the deployment of 28 CubeSats from the International Space Station as part of the QB50 mission.

UCL IRDR Lecturer Dr Robert Wicks is the project manager of the nine UCL scientific instruments flying on this mission. The Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS), designed and built at UCL, measures the concentrations of Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Nitrous Oxide ions in the thermosphere, the top layer of the atmosphere, as the CubeSats descend from a 400km altitude until they are destroyed at an altitude of around 200km. These will form the first measurements of atmospheric composition from satellites at these altitudes, and will provide our first ever look at the transport of these ions around the world. Ions of Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Nitrous Oxide are generated near the North and South poles by the aurora and are then transported around the globe by very high-altitude winds. Tracking how these molecules move around in the thermosphere will help us to understand the chemistry and weather in the top layer of the atmosphere, and enable us to better predict atmospheric drag on satellites and the impact of space weather on the atmosphere.

Three QB50 CubeSats launched from the International Space Station. The INMS is the black cylinder that can be seen protruding from the ends of two of the satellites. (Credit NASA)