Credit: Copyright: Exolaunch GmbH, SpaceX
It will be used to investigate new nanomaterials under the extreme conditions of space, to test systems for converting the sun s heat into electricity and to precisely measure the residual atmosphere around the satellite. SOMP2b will begin its journey around the Earth at an altitude of 500 km - slightly higher than the ISS space station. It will orbit the Earth in a special polar, sun-synchronous orbit, always flying over the TU Dresden ground station at approximately the same time of day and sending measurement data.
SOMP2b is a follow-up satellite to SOMP2, a nanosatellite jointly developed by students, PhD candidates and scientists from TU Dresden s Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering. SOMP2b stands for Student On-Orbit Measurement Project Number 2b. It is 20 cm x10 cm x10 cm in size and weighs a little less than 2 kilograms. SOMP2b will orbit the Earth so fast that it will see sunrise and sunset 16 times a day. This will be