BUT presented its space programme to guests from the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic

At the end of August, Václav Kobera, Director of Intelligent Transport Systems, Space Activities and R&D and Innovation, and Ondřej Šváb, Head of Space Technologies and Applications Unit at the Ministry of Transport, visited BUT. The aim of their visit was to introduce the field of space applications at BUT, where it boasts a long tradition. Research and development in the field of satellites, construction and design of nanosatellites, and space communication systems, as well as the development of technical solutions and technologies for space applications are among some of the activities presented in the space programme of BUT.

The space programme at BUT enabled the development of a unique Master's degree programme Space Applications several years ago. Thanks to this programme, together with the Aerospace Engineering programme, BUT is one of the leading European universities providing prestigious higher education in the field of space technology.

The opening part of the meeting included a presentation of the creative activities of student teams. YSpace student team presented their results and intentions in developing their own nanosatellites. The first Czech student satellite, which is being built in the Yspace laboratory under the name KOSTKA (THE CUBE), will be used to test various technologies from the BUT in space. Another larger satellite called CIMER, which being developed in cooperation with Mendel University, will test the technology of oxygen production in orbit by reviving certain bacteria. Since its inception, YSpace members have participated in 12 prestigious ESA Academy training programmes in Belgium. In October, YSpace and its CIMER mission will apply to join ESA's Fly Your Satellite programme, which provides student teams with a collaborative approach to developing and launching a satellite into space. The Brno Mars Rover student team, which is preparing a working model of an autonomous Mars rover for the international European Rover Challenge, in turn presented a prototype of a planetary autonomous robotic rover.

All of these student activities are characterised by high professionalism and aim, among other things, to stimulate interest in the space industry among students and the public and to motivate applicants for university studies in engineering and science.

At 12:06, our experts performed an impressive demonstration of the connection with the BDSAT2 nanosatellite, which was developed by scientists from FEEC and CEITEC BUT together with BD SENSORS and Spacemanic, and which has been in Earth orbit since last January. Data was downloaded from the satellite and the commanding of the satellite in orbit was demonstrated from the ground station operated by BUT experts. A tour of a clean laboratory intended for the construction of satellites was followed by a programme of presentations of the results of research and development projects carried out by scientists and experts from FME, FEEC, CEITEC BUT and FIT. The projects were implemented mainly in cooperation with ESA. It also included a presentation of the offer of BUT study programmes oriented towards space and space industry, primarily Space Applications and Aerospace Technology.

"Perhaps everyone looks up to the universe and at least sometimes thinks about its mysteries. I don’t think there is a more appealing area that can inspire the human imagination as much. BUT is currently involved in a number of projects in the field of space applications, including those funded by ESA, which result in various technological solutions designed for use in space. What we only dreamed of 50 years ago has now become a reality. Who would have imagined then that we would soon be able to achieve the relatively easy task of launching our own satellite, controlling its flight and communicating with it in orbit? But it also shows how difficult it is to bring some technical solutions to reality in real space. I am proud of our academic and research staff who are now inventing and designing some of these technical solutions at BUT and who’ve been succeeding in applying them in real space missions. I am also extremely proud of our students in the field of space engineering who are already becoming valid experts in space applications during their studies and are able to collaborate on real projects with industrial partners and design professional technical solutions for space applications," said BUT rector Ladislav Janíček and added: "I also very much appreciate the project Czech Journey to Space initiated by the Ministry of Transport and especially its declared goals, which include inspiring and motivating young people to study technical and natural science fields. The Czech Republic's intention to build a value-added economy based on knowledge and innovation can’t do without quality university-educated professionals. Studies in the fields of space applications and aerospace engineering are among the most prestigious and I am extremely pleased that the possibility of such studies is a reality at BUT."

The visit of Director Kobera, who is also the Chair of the Administrative Board of the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), took place in the context of the Czech Journey to Space project, which was launched at the end of June this year. "In addition to the intention to send a Czech astronaut into space after 45 years, this project aims to support the development of the Czech space industry as a high added value industry, to involve Czech companies in aerospace supply chains, but also to use the inspiring nature of space to promote interest in technical and science education not only at universities. We also plan to raise awareness and motivate primary and secondary school students to study and pursue careers in technology, engineering, mathematics, physics and other technical fields through the ESA – European Space Education Resource Office in the Czech Republic (ESERO)," said Václav Kobera, Director of Intelligent Transport Systems, Space Activities and R&D and Innovation of the Ministry of Transport.

On 2 September, another press conference was held at the Brno Observatory and Planetarium, which presented activities to support the education of the youngest generation. In addition to Prime Minister Petr Fiala, these activities to support education and young scientists were presented at the Brno Observatory and Planetarium by the Minister of Transport Martin Kupka, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Mikuláš Bek, Minister of Science, Research and Innovation Marek Ženíšek and other guests. The presentation also included a list of events taking place this autumn in the field of space industry.