LESTAR - Lessius Satellite for Teaching and Autonomous Research

When bringing people to the hostile space environment, success of long duration missions depends highly on the availability of effective and efficient life support systems. Experience shows that due to the high costs or the unavailability of missions, experimenting on life support systems in manned missions and traditionally large satellites has become very difficult for research institutes and virtually impossible for SME’s. Pico- and small satellites could fill the gap for performing necessary experiments, if tests can be automated, controlled and monitored from earth in a cost-effective way. Ample initiatives to provide easy access to space and multi-orbiting of pico-satellites, ensure the participation of research and educational institutes which can take an important role in vital biological research and in the spread of this innovative know-how. The intrinsic qualities of CubeSats, relatively cheap, easy orbiting, fast development, makes it an excellent research instrument, complementary to experiments on-board the ISS. When considering space related studies, and investing in CubeSat-projects, it is advisable to use an educational and scientific relevant payload with high potential for future space applications to attract students keen on working in high-innovative sectors and to augment the availability of high-educated technical profiles, engine of today’s economy. The challenge of bringing living organisms in space brings along a whole set of difficulties, such as design and production of a miniaturized bioreactor, provision of environment measurement and control, all of this in the given mass, power, volume budget.status: publishe