On 4 March 2024, the SONATE-2 nanosatellite developed at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) was launched into space. On the two-year anniversary, the team at the Professorship for Space Technology led by Professor Hakan Kayal is now drawing a thoroughly positive balance.
"The mission has fulfilled its technological goals in the field of artificial intelligence. After two years of continuous operation under harsh space conditions, SONATE-2 continues to deliver reliable data," says a delighted Professor Kayal - an impressive demonstration of the efficiency and innovative power of space research in Würzburg. The small satellite continues to play an important role in academic education, global networking and technology transfer.
Supported with federal funds
The mission, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, centred on testing new hardware and software for artificial intelligence (AI) under extreme space conditions.
The Würzburg team set a technological milestone here: it was able to demonstrate that SONATE-2 is able to train its AI models to recognise anomalies on the Earth's surface not on Earth, but directly on board - in orbit. This was already clear a year after the launch. This ability to process data autonomously in space drastically reduces the amount of data to be transmitted and lays the foundation for future interplanetary missions.
Operation from the Würzburg Mission Control Centre
Since its launch, the ongoing operation of the small satellite has been handled entirely locally at the JMU. Control, monitoring and data reception are carried out directly via the university's own Mission Control Centre on the Hubland campus. From here, the team plans and coordinates the complex processes and payload operations of the shoebox-sized satellite, which orbits the earth around 15 times a day.
Practical teaching and student involvement
In addition to technology testing, the mission is firmly integrated into university teaching. SONATE-2 acts as a "flying lecture hall" and provides students of aerospace informatics and related disciplines with a unique, practical education.
The joint operation with WüSpace e.V., the Würzburg association for student space projects, should be emphasised. This close co-operation enables students to gain experience in satellite control and mission planning under real conditions.
Worldwide resonance in amateur radio
SONATE-2 is also very popular outside the world of science. The amateur radio payload on board offers a so-called APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) digipeater.
This function enables radio amateurs all over the world to exchange digital short messages and position data via the satellite. The active use of the APRS functionality emphasises the strong international networking of the project with the amateur radio community.
Successful technology transfer: Pyxis Space spin-off
The fact that excellent basic research at JMU Würzburg finds its way into industry is demonstrated by the project's successful technology transfer. The start-up
Pyxis Space GmbH was founded based on the findings and developments of SONATE-2. The young company builds on the expertise gained during the mission and makes the innovations developed in Würzburg accessible to the commercial market.
Funding
The SONATE-2 project was funded by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) with funds from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) on the basis of a decision by the German Bundestag (FKZ 50RU2100).
Contact
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hakan Kayal, Chair of Space Technology,
hakan.kayal@uni-wuerzburg.de