OOV-CUBE, the nanosatellite developed by Zizung Yoon, a professor at Korea Aerospace University’s Department of Smart Drone Engineering, will be launched on July 9. OOV-CUBE is currently loaded on Ariane 6, the new projectile stationed at the Guiana Space Centre, which is the launching grounds of the European Space Agency (ESA).

The critical mission of the nanosatellite is to verify advanced technologies, such as AI and IoT, in a space environment to enhance their technology readiness level (TRL); “OOV” from this satellite’s name is also the abbreviation of “On-Orbit Verification.”

The advanced technologies OOV-CUBE will verify on this mission include highly efficient IoT protocol receivers, next-generation Perovskite solar cell experiments, a highly efficient AI processor and onboard cloud detection neural networks, L-band transceivers for stationary inter-satellite communication on low orbit, and two optical cameras. In particular, the plan is to secure a competitive edge in advanced technology by demonstrating the IoT technology that allows miniature IoT devices to communicate directly with the satellite and verifying the AI technology on the nanosatellite.

As a head researcher at the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin),  Professor Zizung Yoon developed and designed “TUBiX10,” the satellite platform utilized by OOV-CUBE. From 2018 to 2020, five satellites were developed using the TUBiX10 platform to successfully operate in a low-orbit environment.

TU Berlin and Rapid Cubes, a nanosatellite company, were responsible for the production and testing of this mission. OOV-CUBE took the honor of winning the contest hosted by ESA before the first flight of its new projectile, Ariane 6, and thus earned the opportunity to verify its advanced technology in space without any launching costs. The first launch of Ariane 6 will include 15 projectiles developed in European countries and the OOV-CUBE satellite.

After the satellite’s successful launch on the 9th, it will be under operation by two satellite control centers, the Korea Aerospace University’s Distributed Space Systems Research Lab and TU Berlin. The Korea Aerospace University also newly established a satellite control center within the campus as a part of its Innovative & Convergent University Project for Next-Generation Communication.

Professor Yoon commented, “This mission will be a chance for us to accumulate technology and experience in the high-tech field, including IoT communication and AI utilization in space by harnessing nanosatellites.” He added, “I look forward to our university students building relevant on-site expertise as they participate in the satellite’s operation.”