LONDON, Dec. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Space Trust is pleased to announce a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Space Trust, a non-government organization; the University of Arizona (UArizona); and the University of Nairobi to develop a Peace Satellite Project (PSP), an Earth-orbiting Spacecraft aimed at promoting global peace, international cooperation and to develop a STEM-based capacity building program between a developed and developing country. PSP will train space generation leaders as part of an integrated engineering curriculum, focused on the design, construction, development, and operation of a student-built CubeSat mission.
A Space Trust initiative, the mission is named (ZeroGravity) 0G Peace Mission 2030 (0G2030) in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda of 2030. Accordingly, the primary goal of the mission is to transmit messages of peace in orbit and broadcast them around the world, which will be uploaded in the voices of world leaders, space industry leaders, leaders of multi-lateral bodies, peacemakers, religious leaders, civil society and youth to promote space as a sustainable tool for peace-making on Earth, at the advent of democratization of space.
"The mission seeks to advocate Space Trust's founding principle of Making Space the New Frontier for Peace on Earth and to utilize outer space for innovative Space Diplomacy on Earth," said Namira Salim, Founder and Executive Chairperson of Space Trust. "The initiative will galvanize our common humanity, harness the power of space to unite nations in the midst of an increasingly divisive world, and encourage public-private partnerships," she added.
The PSP spacecraft will adopt the Nanosatellite Platform for University of Nairobi (NaSPUoN), which is currently a 1U (bench model) CubeSat. The flight model incorporating PSP & NaSPUoN is envisioned to be upgraded to a 3U CubeSat.
"The University of Arizona shall develop the antenna to broadcast the peace messages and provide ground system support for its operation. It will also provide environmental qualification for the fully integrated satellite," said Chief Scientist for the Peace Satellite Project (PSP), Dr. Dante Lauretta, Regents Professor of Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Principal Investigator for NASA's OSIRIS-REx, the first Asteroid Sample Return Mission, which successfully collected a sample from near-Earth Asteroid Bennu in October 2020 and will return the sample back to Earth in September 2023. "Students from the University of Nairobi will gain satellite design and development experience via those working on CatSat1, a 6U CubeSat being developed at University of Arizona," he added. The University of Arizona has been a major participant in NASA and international planetary exploration for over 50 years.
While the primary mission will be the PSP, the secondary missions include student-led payloads, which will also enable Earth Observation missions, especially to benefit developing countries. The three partners will also organize seminars and workshops to disseminate project goals and achievements to engage the industry and inspire STEM enrolment.
"In addition to the development of the 0G2030 mission, students will gain experience in design of mobile applications that help incorporate, integrate and disseminate satellite data such as peace messages and develop and transform it into 3U CubeSat," said Engineer Professor J. Mwangi Mbuthia, Principal Investigator NaSPUoN Team and Kenya Space Agency Research Chair at the University of Nairobi. "The University of Nairobi will build and operate satellite ground stations at both our main campus and in Mombasa. We will provide data obtained from these missions to the Kenya Space Agency for utilization by the government of Kenya," he added.
On Oct. 23, the two universities and Space Trust participated in an international symposium to discuss the development of the UArizona CatSat1 and the University of Nairobi NaSPUoN CubeSat, including current progress and the applications of this technology to the planned 0G2030 CubeSat. Dr. Lauretta concluded the symposium by remarking, "This meeting catalyzes more focused and detailed technical discussions especially as we move forward to the launch of CatSat1, NaSPUoN, and the design of the next mission with the University of Nairobi and the Kenya Space Agency--0G2030."
Having spearheaded 0G Summits during the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, Space Trust has engaged five sitting and former Heads of State and 10 governments to advocate Space as a tool for sustainable peace-making on Earth.
Space Trust, the University of Arizona, and University of Nairobi are proud partners in the development of 0G Peace Mission 2030 (0G2030). Space Trust, along with its two university partners is currently aligning multi-lateral, international, and industry partners and seeks potential sponsors for spacecraft development support and for procuring launch opportunities.
For further information, interview, and partnership opportunities about 0G Peace Mission 2030 (0G2030), please visit http://www.0g2030.org or contact info@0g2030.org.
Related Images
Image 1: 0G Peace Mission 2030 (0G2030) Partners
University of Arizona, University of Nairobi & Space Trust
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