The various manufacturing and assembly phases of the first academic satellite “TUNSAT-1” will be carried out in Tunisia by students in the Private Higher School of Engineering and Applied Technology of Tunisia (ESPITA) during a period not exceeding 18 months, Hana Aouinette, director of ESPITA said at a press conference Wednesday.
The United Nations Wednesday announced that a team from the ESPITA won the 6th edition of the “KiboCube” programme, and will have the opportunity to launch the academic satellite “TUNSAT-1” to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2023.
Aouinette the satellite will then undergo initial testing in Tunisia, before being tested in Egypt, in partnership with the Egyptian Space Agency.
“The satellite will be launched on a Japanese or American rocket towards the ISS. It will be placed at an altitude of 400 km,” she said.
“Once in space, TUNSAT-1 will be taken over by a Tunisian team, which will be responsible for exploiting the data provided by the satellite and preparing new missions in space.
This project will contribute to the transfer of expertise from Japan to Tunisia, thanks to the coordination and technical cooperation with the Japanese Space Agency during all the phases of this mission that will last 18 months.
