Nano satellite TUMnanoSAT presented at Moldovan Technical University

Chisinau, 18 February /MOLDPRES/ - The nano satellite, TUMnanoSAT, one of the most important achievements of the National Centre of Space Technologies (CNTS) of the Moldovan Technical University (UTM), which will launched from the International Space Station (ISS), was presented at a news conference today.  

UTM Rector Viorel Bostan highlighted the importance of this project for Moldova, including from the viewpoint of the fact that the satellite elaborated by young researchers of CNTS-UTM in less than one week will be sent to Japan, in order to be subsequently launched in space.  

„This project was nominated winner at the fourth round of the KiboCube  programme, coordinated and developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). The satellite is to be delivered to the Tsukuba Space Center on the immediate next days, for integration into the launcher JSSOD (JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer),’’ Viorel Bostan said.     

Attending the event, Economics Minister Sergiu Gaibu said the government had backed and would support in continuation such projects, which are the future of the country’s science and economy and urged young people to profess engineering.  

At the same time, journalists were presented the Command and Control Centre for monitoring the TUMnanoSAT mission, the laboratories of designing the components and the software projects.  

The team of the Space Technologies Centre ended the last phase of verifications and validations of safety for the launch from ISS. The TUMnanoSAT nano satellite is to be launched from the International Space Station.

In 2021, Moldova’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) issued, for the first time ever, the ATA Card for the nano satellite of the Centre of Space Technologies of the Moldovan Technical University. The ATA Card, as customs document facilitating the temporary export of goods, was demanded by UTM, given the need of the functional testing of the nano satellite for the launch in space.  

Based on the Card processed and issued by CCI, the nano satellite TUMnanoSAT and the accessories necessary were carried to Romania and subjected to testing operations by the Romanian Space Science Institute and afterwards reintroduced in Moldova.

According to specialists, the launch of Moldova’s first satellite in space will have a  major impact on the improvement of the quality of engineering education and Moldova’s integration into the community of countries which develop space technologies.