Reported and photographed by: Ji Xing & Feng Jian
Translated by: Fu Kangxiong
Edited by: Daniel Penistone
The yearning dream of the HITers, their rocket soaring into the heavens.
The HIT student-developed NanoSat – ZidingxiangⅡSpacecraft was launched successfully from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on September 20, 2015 at 7:01. HIT has successfully launched 4 satellites before: ShiyanⅠ, ShiyanⅢ, KuaizhouⅠand KuaizhouⅡ.This launch is different from the previous times for the research team includes undergraduates, postgraduates and doctoral students with an average age of less than 24. It is reported that the ZidingxiangⅡSpacecraft is the first NanoSat that was designed, developed and controlled by college students in China.
The ZidingxiangⅡSpacecraft weighs 12 kilograms; this NanoSat is helpful for future space equipment and the national economy. Wei Mingchuan, the first year doctoral student of the School of Astronautics who is in charge of the whole design, measurement and control, said that this satellite is aimed at constructing an experimental platform for satellite orbiting, testing the reliability of the function of FPGA in space environment. In the meantime, the electronic equipment on the satellite can collect data of global flight and shipping and track large wild animals. This satellite is also equipped with an industrial infrared camera, which can detect forest fire and extreme weather using imaging of the Earth’s temperature. In addition, as an experimental platform, the satellite carries two sets of new high-accuracy ultralight sensors. This launch is for orbiting test and to make sure the follow-up satellites of this series can work successfully.
This HIT research team of NanoSat is a multi-disciplinary group that is based on the technology of the Satellite Technology Research Institute, and gathers the undergraduates, postgraduates and doctoral students from the majors of Aeronautical and Astronautical Science and Technology, Mechanics, Computer Science and Technology, Control Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Thermal Power Engineering. The team has key students such as Wei Mingchuan, Guo Jinsheng, Yu Yang, Wu Fan, Xia Kaixin, Feng Tianyu, Wang Cheng, Zhang Tianhe, Miao Yue, Qiu Shi, Hu Chaoran, Zhang Yangyu, Mi Mingheng, Zhang Jiyao, Gong Zhaopei, and Pei Le. This launch received the designs and research from over 40 students.
Satellite launching
The research site
