The Countdown Has Begun

TAU's very first nanosatellite will be launched into space on February 20 at 19:36 from NASA Space Agency in Virginia, USA. The satellite will hitch a ride on the ANTARES spacecraft destined for the International Space Station where it will start its journey on a low-earth orbit around the Earth, about 400 km above our planet.

The nanosatellite will measure cosmic radiation emitted from the sun and distant celestial objects like galaxies. The satellite will pass over the state of Israel four times a day transmitting the collected data to the TAU station located at the top of the University`s Engineering building.

The data collected by the TAU-SAT1 can help scientists make space a safer environment for astronauts and other satellites. Equipped with solar cells, TAU-SAT 1 will sail in space for a few months, and then will fade by burning out and turning into stardust.

TAU-SAT 1 is a very impressive scientific and technological achievement that may eventually become an alternative to conventional commercial satellites developed by big companies with huge budgets.  

Launching TAU-SAT1 is the first step on the way to the space revolution and opening space for civilians.

This is the first satellite that was entirely developed, assembled and tested at the New Nanosatellite Center at Tel Aviv University. This venture is a result of unique collaboration of the The Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Exact Sciences and the School of Environmental and Earth Sciences. The project was led by a team of researchers, Dr. Ofer Amrani, Head Tel Aviv University's miniature satellite lab, Prof. Colin Price, Head of the Department of Environmental Studies at the Porter School, and Dr. Meir Ariel, Director of the Nanosatellite Center.

Live broadcast of the launch will be streamed via TAU2GO Facebook page.