Space Campus The international partnership between the UPEC / CPUT in action

At the start of 2020, we had the pleasure of welcoming 3 master students from the CPUT (Cape Peninsula University of Technology) to the UPEC Space Campus.

Both Elrich and Rezah worked on our Rosalind Franklin rover project and Ryno worked on the communication between the UPEC ground station and our satellites in orbit.

The wheels of the Rosalind Franklin rover are special parts, the rover must be able to drive on sand, which is no easy task.

On Earth to drive on sand or on rough terrain we use wide wheels to increase the friction surface between the vehicle and the ground. This solution cannot be used effectively on Mars because of the lack of space under the rocket’s hood which limits the size of the wheel. To answer this challenge the engineers of ESA (European space agency) have developed wheels that will allow the rover not only to roll … but in certain circumstances to walk!

Beneath this paragraph you can see a 3D representation of a wheel designed by Elrich based on models from ESA. This wheel must be as close in design as possible to those of the ESA rover, but at a cost the CSU can afford.

Meanwhile, Rezah, worked on the specifications and the choice of engines that we will use. An example of a considered engine is presented below:

He then wrote the basis of the algorithms for controlling these engines.

Finally, Ryno worked on the adaptation of the antennas of our first satellite (OGMS-SA) as well as on the communication between the latter and our ground station.

Beneath this paragraph you can see a model of the antenna emission. This simulation is part of Ryno work.

In red are the areas where the antennas emit the most:

The pandemic unfortunately did not allow our 3 students to complete their internships at the CSU. Leaving hastily in South Africa in March, they nevertheless continued their work from the CPUT and contributed significantly to the progress of the projects in which they were involved.