BGU | The Sky is No Limit

environmental research, as well as a satellite ground station dedicated specifically to the BGUSAT nanosatellite (see below). “BGU is my second home. Working with the talented people here is a great privilege. The responsibility entrusted to me, the opportunity to lead

the lab with data that enabled the creation of a map documenting the surfaces of the planets Venus and Mars. Over time, the lab accumulated significant amounts of data, including additional geological mapping of near and distant planets, and algorithms

or dreams. I enjoy academic and creative freedom and can initiate and dare, even ‘dream,’ to lead and promote processes, such as our involvement in community projects that expose youngsters to what we really do at the University. We show them that they too can achieve their dreams.”

were developed to identify various phenomena. A receiving station for satellites observing the Earth was also established for the purposes of A Tiny Satellite with a Huge Impact processes, and the chance I was given to do things my own way – all of these are above and beyond my expectation

BGUSAT is one of BGU’s most significant achievements in the field of aerospace. A nanosatellite about the size of a milk carton and weighing just five kilograms, BGUSAT was launched from India on February 15, 2017 as part of a collaboration between Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The nanosatellite, containing a computer and a short-wave infra-red camera designed to explore atmospheric and weather phenomena in infra-red wavelengths, was designed, developed, and assembled entirely in Israel.

What began as a fourth-year engineering student project, went through nearly ten years of delays and redesigns, until the Israel Space Agency, IAI and other supporters came on board. The day of the launch was filled with great expectations as well as concerns. Prof. Blumberg, Dr. Maman, and graduate student Aviran Sadon gathered at the EPIF early in the morning to watch the launch livestreamed from the Indian Space Agency, tensely waiting until they heard that all 104 satellites had been successfully deployed into orbit.

Once they received the first signal from BGUSAT, containing its telemetry identification data, BGU became a bona fide member of the space club! The ground station that receives BGUSAT’s signals was established at BGU with the generosity of Rachel and Max Javit. Hopefully, it will serve future University space endeavors as well. BGUSAT completed its mission earlier this year, in March, 2023, and is no longer in orbit. Tiny as it was, launching BGUSAT was a complex project that served as a platform for extensive collaboration between researchers from different disciplines across the University and industry worldwide. Tiny as it was, launching the BGUSAT was a complex project that served as a platform for extensive collaboration between researchers from different disciplines across the University.

Dr. Shimrit Mamman with a lifesize model of the BGUSAT

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