Aalto-1: the Finnish student satellite project

The Aalto-1 project started in the beginning of 2010, when a group of students made a feasibility study of the satellite in the framework of the Space Technology special assignment course. Since then the project has created significant excitement among students and teachers alike. New teaching methods have been applied and a significant interdisciplinary co-operation network inside Aalto University has been created.

Aalto-1 was launched into space on 23 June 2017 from India, marking Finland's entry as a spacefaring nation. On 1 September 2024, the satellite deorbited as planned, concluding a successful seven-year mission.

Finland's first satellite, the Aalto-1, is an ambitious multi-payload nanosatellite mission. The satellite carries three high end innovative research devices: an imaging spectrometer built by VTT, a radiation monitor jointly constructed by the Universities of Helsinki and Turku and an experimental deorbiting device designed by the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The multi-stage mission aims for in-orbit demonstration of all those new technologies for further utilization in space.

Currently, the Aalto-1 is being operated daily, and the Aalto-1 mission has been proven successful in all areas. The Attitude Determination Control System has been working, and this has allowed photography with the AaSI Hyperspectral Imager. Multiple photographs can be downloaded in a day, thanks to a new packaging algorithm developed by students. The RADMON has also been proven to meet its goals, and it is providing data continuously. The readiness of the Plasma Brake has been confirmed, and it will be used near the end of the mission when de-orbiting experiment of the satellite starts later in 2018. The first year of the satellite has been a success.

Project team:

Responsible leader: Prof Jaan Praks ([email protected])
Systems Engineer: Antti Kestilä ([email protected])
Quality managers: Maria Hieta ([email protected]), Tuomas Tikka ([email protected])
Payload AaSI Spectrometer (VTT): Antti Näsilä ([email protected])
Payload RADMON (University of Turku): Rami Vainio ([email protected])
Payload Plasma Brake (Finnish Meteorological Institute): Pekka Janhunen ([email protected])