The Canadian Satellite Design Challenge competition took place over a period of two years, during which participants had to design and build a CubeSat-type nanosatellite, an open-access design standard. The nanosatellite had to weigh at most 4 kg and measure 30 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm. It was up to each university to choose its satellite's mission. Polytechnique Montréal and Concordia University, winner of the first competition, were the only Québec competitors.

PolyOrbite was created in 2012 at Polytechnique, with some 30 students from various engineering specialties. The nanosatellite's main mission was set in collaboration with a team of students from the University of Bologna in Italy, which joined forces with Polytechnique Montréal to develop and implement an experimental de-orbiting system.

PolyOrbite in the David Florida Laboratory at the Canadian Space Agency, where the last phase of the CSDC competition took place for environmental tests.

Last May, the team travelled to Ottawa to carry out a three-axis vibration test, an extreme-temperature circuit test and a diagnostic test. The jury was made up of representatives from the space sector, including employees of the Canadian Space Agency. The members of PolyOrbite had been to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue earlier, in September 2013, to visit the offices of MDA Montréal and present a critical design review of their satellite. At that point, the team was authorized to move on to assembly. 

Alexandre Guay, a graduating student in aerospace engineering at Polytechnique and a member of PolyOrbite, is quite satisfied with his team's ranking: “We are extremely proud of our finish. We reached our goal, which was to place in the final top three. I think this clearly demonstrates Polytechnique's ability to develop new knowledge and expertise. We are also happy about the international collaboration with our Italian colleagues. The language and distance barriers were very present, but that placed us in a collaborative context similar to the kind two companies might deal with in an industry context.”

The 2014–2016 competition should begin between now and late fall. The committee has already begun its recruitment campaign, but remains open to accepting new members to create a nanosatellite with a brand-new mission. To build this type of nanosatellite, the PolyOrbite students needed a budget of nearly $30,000 over two years; the project would not have been possible without the support of their valued sponsors.

The project was carried out under the supervision of Giovanni Beltrame, adjunct professor in Polytechnique's Department of Computer Engineering. Professor Beltrame is an expert in design, simulation and testing of onboard systems for space applications. 

As the winner, the University of Victoria team's space launch will be financed so that it can carry out its mission. The nanosatellite will be added to a rocket to be used for a commercial satellite launch. The rocket will eject the nanosatellite once it reaches the desired altitude.

Our heartiest congratulations to all the members of PolyOrbite!

See also:

Article published in July 2013
Website of PolyOrbite
Facebook page of PolyOrbite
Professor Beltrame's expertise 
Website of the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge