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Texas State University in San Marcos recently reached a milestone: It has a satellite slated for deployment into Earth’s orbit.
On Oct. 13, a Falcon 9 rocket roared into space, bound for the International Space Station. Among the cargo was PROVES‑Maia, a satellite designed and built by students at Texas State University.
During a launch watch party, 22-year-old Jasmine Rawles, a TSU senior, could barely believe what she was seeing.
“It was like, absolutely insane to watch the rocket go up and feeling like, in a sense, like I own a part of it is a really surreal feeling that I've, I've struggled to put into words, to be completely honest,” she said.
Rawles was involved in the assembly, integration and testing of Maia.
“I knew this is what we were working toward, but to actually see it manifest into something very real, is just an amazing feeling.”
Evan Jellison is a physics professor at Texas State University who helped lead the project.
He said launching the first satellite owned and operated by Texas State University is a big deal.
“It means that we have the capability in the student body with the technical skills, the drive, the hunger to do something as complex as a space mission. You know, our university doesn't currently have an aerospace program, and now we belong to a select group of universities who've gotten the chance to launch a spacecraft altogether,” said Jellison.
“And then for the students, it's, of course, a big thing for their development, for their career goals, but the camaraderie I've seen, the drive and, and the dedication really is, is actually inspiring to myself as well,” he said.
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
Maia carries a system that will allow students to test different instruments and spacecraft components. It also includes a radiation sensor.
“Our radiation sensor is designed to pick up on gamma radiation, which is a high-energy photon or light. And essentially what we're hoping to do is to study how good Earth's atmosphere is at protecting us here on the ground, the surface of the Earth,” said Jellison.
For Jasmine Rawles, building a satellite and launching it into space taught her things she would have never learned in a classroom.
“Through this project, we've had a lot of people from different majors and backgrounds and experiences, and learning to communicate with them, and work together, to be able to put this whole thing together was really unlike anything I've done in a classroom,” she said.
Maia is currently aboard the ISS and is scheduled for release into orbit in the next 3 to 4 weeks. A station set up at the university will have the capability to both monitor and control the satellite.
