Our Lab

AggieSat Lab is a Student Satellite Program housed within the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University. The goal of the Lab is to develop and demonstrate modern technologies by using a small-satellite platform, while educating students and enriching the undergraduate experience. Our Lab takes an integrated approach to small-spacecraft research, design-build-fly, and education for multidisciplinary teams of freshmen through graduate students, along with industry and government affiliates. Students are responsible for the whole design process from concept to end-of-mission. Students simultaneously pursue degrees and participate in a business environment with real-world deliverables, quality-assurance checks, documentation, design and safety reviews, and organization. The goal is for our students to gain hands-on mastery in current tools, systems engineering, and industry practices related to specification, design, analysis, fabrication, and testing of space vehicle systems, while actively applying and extending complementary concepts taught in classes and making critical decisions. The context for this program is in advancing small real satellites, yet the skill set learned is applicable to a wide variety of disciplines and industries.

AggieSat Lab was founded by Dr. Helen Reed, a Professor in the Aerodynamics and Propulsion Group within Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Reed brings 18 years of experience in micro- and nanosatellite design and student programs; and 34 years in hypersonics, boundary-layer transition, and flow control. While at Arizona State, she founded ASUSat Lab in October 1993. That Lab then moved with her to Texas A&M and became AggieSat Lab in March 2005. She has thus far been responsible for the delivery by her students of 2 major satellites launched with the US Air Force and 1 launched by NASA:

• ASUSat1 – 13-pound nanosatellite launched on the inaugural Orbital Suborbital Program Space Launch Vehicle “Minotaur” in January 2000 out of Vandenberg Air Force Base.

• Three Corner Sat – Micro-satellite constellation launched on Delta IV Heavy Demo mission in December 2004 out of Cape Canaveral. Two of three satellites were launched and the third was delivered to the Air and Space Museum.

• LONESTAR Mission 1 (DRAGONSat/AggieSat2) – 5” cubesat released from NASA Space Shuttle STS-127 "Endeavour" on 30 July 2009. AggieSat2 operated on orbit for 230 days, up until de-orbit 17 March 2010.

AggieSat2, Texas A&M’s first free-flying spacecraft, was the first in an ongoing four-mission campaign, named LONESTAR (Low Earth Orbiting Navigation Experiment for Spacecraft Testing Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking), partnering the Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division at NASA Johnson Space Center, Texas A&M, and the University of Texas at Austin to promote space engineering education as well as research into novel, low-cost autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations techniques. The first three missions build in complexity and test individual components and subsystems while the final mission will culminate with the successful docking of two satellites. The first-mission requirements were to operate the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver built by NASA JSC called DRAGON (Dual RF Astrodynamic GPS Orbital Navigator). AggieSat2 proved elements that survived long term in orbit; and highlighted areas where there is a need for increased attention to detail and care in documentation, integration and testing, and time management; and our AggieSat Lab is looking forward to applying these lessons learned to future flight programs with the NASA JSC - UT partnership. With its first flight experience completed, the Lab is looking to build experience in attitude control, expanded power, propulsion capability, expanded communications, and other spacecraft infrastructure to complete campaign requirements while continuing to educate students with real flight programs.

AggieSat Lab is open to all Texas A&M students of U.S. citizenship. Undergraduates and graduate students of all majors, who are interested in a unique opportunity not only to design a satellite, but to build it, deliver it for launch, operate it in space, and accomplish a research objective, can call us at our primary number, (979) 458-2158, or use our Contact Us page listed above.

1st Aggie Ring in Space

Civil engineering graduate Patrick Brand (’81) became the first to send an Aggie Ring into space when his father, Vance D. Brand, carried it as commander of Space Shuttle Columbia Mission STS-5 in November 1982. The ring was on board as the shuttle completed 81 orbits –– a distance of 2,110,849 miles. Twenty-five years later, Brand donated his well-traveled class ring as a gift to the AggieSat Lab, personally delivering the ring, logbook and mission patch of the historic flight. “I felt that the students at A&M would appreciate what it meant and could gain some inspiration from it. It was only logical that it go to the aeronautical engineering department. The time was right to donate it back to where it came from,” Brand says. “Students are still awestruck with the ring,” says Dr. Helen Reed, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. “And it will be treasured. It serves as an inspiration and reminds us that we can achieve great things.” Brand is executive vice president of Blade Energy Partners, which has been recognized as one of the top 100 Aggie owned and operated companies in the nation.

The ring resides in the AggieSat Lab and travels with the team including to the launch of AggieSat2 at Kennedy Space Center. The Aggie ring is one of the most important and well-known of the university’s symbols. Texas A&M students began to receive class rings as early as 1889, but the current ring design dates from 1894. Everything seen on the ring represents an Aggie value: the large shield symbolizes the desire to protect the reputation of the university; the 13 stripes on the shield represent the 13 original states of America; the five stars on the shield refer to the phases of development of any Aggie – mind, body, spirituality, emotional poise, integrity of character; and the eagle symbolizes agility and power and the ability to reach great heights. The large star on the side of the ring symbolizes the Seal of Texas, encircled with a wreath of olive and laurel leaves symbolizing achievement and a desire for peace. The live oak leaves symbolize the strength to fight for our country and our state and are encircled by a ribbon showing the necessity of joining these two traits to accomplish one's ambition to serve. An ancient cannon, a saber and a rifle on the other side of the ring symbolize how citizens of Texas fought for their land and are determined to defend it. The saber stands for valor and confidence, while the rifle and cannon stand for preparedness and defense. The crossed flags of the United States and Texas recognize an Aggie's dual allegiance to both nation and state.

Saturn V Model

"Remember Robert G. Chilton, Professor Emeritus 1978-1988" adorns the base of the 1:96 scale model of the Saturn V residing at AggieSat Lab. This was one of the original models built by the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center Graphic Engineering and Model Studies Branch. Of the others, one was presented to President John F. Kennedy and one resides at MIT.

College Station Flyover

AggieSat Lab ground station team members took a break from ground station training and practice to watch a beautiful triple pass of the Space Shuttle, Space Station, and Progress Supply vehicles over College Station. This photograph shows Endeavour carrying AggieSat2 and Bevo-1 over College Station on Tuesday 28 July 2009 at about 9:14 p.m. CDT. The International Space Station can also be seen just entering the image at the time the exposure ended. AggieSat Lab members took the opportunity to shout well wishes to the satellite and enjoy the sight of NASA's youngest Orbiter with Aggieland's first satellite in tow. The photograph was taken by lab member Michael Smith with a Nikon D60 at Riverside Ground Station on a 30 second exposure.