Tag: satellites

NASA’s SunRISE SmallSats Ace Tests, Moving Closer to Launch

Posted on by U-M Space Institute
SUNRISE tests
In a mission led by Principal Investigator Professor Sue Lepri, Ph.D., who works as the Director of the Space Physics Research Laboratory, six small satellites (or SmallSats) are moving closer to launch in the Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) Mission. Under the management of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this mission will study the physics of explosions in the Sun’s atmosphere in order to gain insights that could one day help protect astronauts and space hardware from showers of accelerated particles.

New FireSat Set to Transform Wildfire Detection and Response

Posted on by U-M Space Institute
Chris Ruf with students
The first prototype of the FireSat constellation launched into low-Earth orbit in March, paving the way for a large network of satellites that will help enhance wildfire detection, mitigation and response around the world. The entire constellation will eventually consist of 50 satellites that will use infrared cameras to detect and track wildfires from space. They will also use a next-generation Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) receiver that can measure soil and vegetation moisture based on how the surface reflects GPS microwaves, harnessing signals already bouncing off the Earth from navigation satellites.