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SFU CubeSat Program
SFU CubeSat Program
The Saint Francis University CubeSat program is a group of students and faculty who are aiming to reach for the stars. This remarkable program gives students the opportunity to design, build, and launch a real satellite into space as part of their undergraduate education.
SoFIE (SFU-1)
SoFIE (SFU-1)
SFU's first space mission, Solar Flare and Ionosphere Explorer (SoFIE), is a 3U CubeSat with a mission to investigate the highest layer of the earth's atmosphere (the ionosphere) and measure fluctuations from lightning at the bottom of it and solar flares at the top. SoFIE will also record storms on Jupiter. The program is a collaboration between students and faculty on campus as well as with partnering organizations.
Students and our partners work in teams to accomplish tasks in areas such as science objectives, power systems, attitude control, command and data handling, communications, and ground operations.
Project Infrastructure
Project Infrastructure
Multiple experiments will be flown onboard SoFIE to study the ionosphere. Additional observations on the ground will complement the data that is collected.
Learn about the project's communications.
See our technical resources page.
Project Timeline
Project Timeline
MDR - Mission Definition Review
This review is to clearly articulate the mission’s objectives and establish a baseline architecture for the project.
PDR - Preliminary Design Review
This review details designs of the satellite’s systems and demonstrate that the mission’s objectives can be achieved within the constraints of budget, schedule, and available technology.
CDR - Critical Design Review
This review refines the project before preparing for launch.
CSLI - CubeSat Launch Initiative Proposal
A proposal to launch will be prepared after the reviews.
Independent Review Board
The SFU CubeSat team is thankful to the following individuals for sharing of their time to review the project and provide valuable feedback.
Dr. Rose Clark
Professor, Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Saint Francis University (SFU)
Dr. Linda Godwin
Retired NASA astronaut; Professor Emeritus, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri (MU)
Dr. Chuck Higgins
Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU); founding member of RadioJOVE project
Dr. Harry Kloor
Scientist, film producer, director, writer, and entrepreneur; co-founder of the Rocket Racing League; former chief science adviser for the X-Prize organization
Dr. Pedro Muíño
Professor, Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Saint Francis University (SFU)
Mr. Francis (Don) Freeburn
Retired NASA Apollo Engineer
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