The Dean of the Faculty of Science MUNI, Luděk Bláha, has signed the official agreement for the BrnoSat mission, a project in which the faculty plays a major role. As part of the mission, the faculty will contribute a small ultraviolet telescope that will provide unique scientific data from orbit. Alongside its scientific objectives, the project also aims to inspire young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.
The Brno-built satellite is scheduled to be launched into Earth orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket before the end of next year. BrnoSat will carry two principal scientific payloads, one of which will be provided by the Faculty of Science MUNI. Dean Luděk Bláha signed the official mission agreement on behalf of the faculty. The mission is coordinated through the Brno Observatory and Planetarium and receives substantial financial support from the City of Brno.
The faculty’s primary contribution to the satellite is the LUVCam-2 ultraviolet telescope. The instrument onboard BrnoSat is a result of a collaboration with the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto and builds on the success of LUVCam-1, which is currently operating aboard the GRBBeta satellite. Mission operations for GRBBeta are supported by students from the Faculty of Science MUNI.
“The telescope will capture wide-field ultraviolet images of the sky. Among other things, these observations will allow us to study energetic flares on red dwarf stars and begin investigating whether planets orbiting such stars could potentially support life. Our experience with BrnoSat will also help prepare us for scientific operations with the upcoming QUVIK space telescope,” says astrophysicist Norbert Werner from the Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics at the Faculty of Science MUNI.
“Our students will plan and conduct the observations with BrnoSat, as well as process, analyse and interpret the data. This hands-on experience offers exceptional career opportunities for our graduates,” Werner explains.
“Working on a space mission during my PhD is an exceptional opportunity that will prepare me for a career in both academic research and industry,” says doctoral student Marianna Dafčíková. She has already gained experience with the operation of the GRBAlpha and GRBBeta CubeSat missions and is looking forward to contributing to BrnoSat.
The experiments contributed by Brno University of Technology will focus on the behaviour of lubricants and labyrinth seals designed to minimise lubricant evaporation in the space environment. The satellite will also carry a prototype miniature “smart” thermal switch that could, in the future, be used for the autonomous cooling of equipment operating in orbit.
“As the name suggests, BrnoSat is being developed in Brno. The mission is a joint effort involving the Brno Observatory and Planetarium, Masaryk University and Brno University of Technology in collaboration with Spacemanic, the company responsible for implementing the mission. Since BrnoSat is a shared mission carrying several scientific experiments, all partners will work closely together during mission operations,” Werner adds.
“I am delighted that the BrnoSat project involves not only members of academic staff but also students from the Faculty of Science MUNI. It is these students who represent the future of the field, not only in Brno but beyond,” said Tomáš Kašparovský, then Dean of the Faculty of Science, when the project was first announced.
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