Satellite built at McMaster set for launch on SpaceX shuttle

The McMaster University “NEUDOSE” satellite is scheduled to launch from Florida on a SpaceX shuttle today.

The unit is scheduled to launch at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday and it will be available to view as a livestream on SpaceX’s YouTube channel.

The satellite will study the effect of radiation on astronauts as humans attempt to travel farther from earth.

The team involved in this mission consists of a group of McMaster students that took part in designing and planning the launch of the satellite for the past eight years.

“If you had told me when I was 5 years old that I would’ve launched something into space, I would’ve said that you’ve been dreaming.” McMaster’s @NEUDOSE team’s dreams come true next week when the satellite they built blasts off for @Space_Station. https://t.co/5nZ8wHhpXt pic.twitter.com/x5vsRLnjyz

— McMaster University (@McMasterU) March 9, 2023

The mission was picked for the Canadian Space Agency’s “Canadian CubeSat Project” in 2018 and it includes a small satellite, approximately the size of a loaf of bread, to understand the long-term exposure to space radiation.

While in space, the satellite will spend some time at the International Space Station before it is launched into orbit by astronauts on board.

Aaron Pitcher is a PHD student and member of the team working on the unit. He told CHCH News that this work is vital because space radiation exposure is a major health risk to astronauts.

If the mission is successful, the device will send real-time radiation measurements back to the team.

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