Published on: 2026-10-13
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
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Along with NSU, participants in the program in 2026 also included Lomonosov Moscow State University, the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE), and the Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology.
Within the program, NSU will develop a small 16U-format spacecraft intended for testing advanced data transmission technologies. Two payloads are installed at the request of NSU’s industrial partners. The spacecraft is also equipped with a multi-band onboard transponder of its own design (P-, VHF-, and S-bands) to demonstrate space communication services. This is already the fourth spacecraft that the university is developing as part of the “UniverSat” program. The three previous spacecraft, “NORBI-1,” “NORBI-2,” and “NORBI-3,” have been successfully launched into orbit.
— This satellite is fundamentally different from the previous ones. We are expanding the volume to 16U, whereas our previous devices under the “UniverSat” program had a size of 6U. The increased volume allows for a higher energy budget for the satellite and the installation of a wider range of experimental payloads. The main objective of this orbital mission is to develop various space communication protocols, including the development of the LoRa long-range radio technology for the Internet of Things. — said Vitaly Prokopyev, Head of the Department of Aerospace Research at NSU.
The project is being implemented with the support of industrial partners — JSC “Satellite System “Gonets” and JSC “Research Institute of Telecommunications Technology”. The results obtained from flight tests can subsequently be applied in the design of, among other things, federal multi-satellite communication constellations.
In addition, under the federal program “Personnel for Space”, NSU will host a free continuing education program titled “Development, Testing, and Operation of Onboard Satellite Equipment.” The program is aimed at bachelor’s, master’s students, and young scientists in graduate student status who want to understand the full cycle of working with a small spacecraft. The program covers the entire lifecycle of spacecraft creation — from concept formulation and system design of onboard systems, to integration, ground testing in preparation for the small spacecraft launch, and the basics of satellite operation in orbit.
Special attention during the training is given to practical exercises on modern testing and laboratory equipment. Lectures and practical sessions are conducted by highly qualified research staff, developers, and engineers from the Aerospace Research Department team at NSU, as well as experts from space industry enterprises, particularly from JSC “Reshetnev”, JSC “Satellite System “Gonets”, and others.
The program will last until December 2026 and will conclude with a three-day hackathon.
— Teams will receive the orbital parameters of the hypothetical Small Spacecraft and an engineering task that combines several topics: ballistics, the operation of the orientation system, payload management, and data transmission to the ground station. Over the course of three days, participants will work in teams and try their hand at being specialists managing a small spacecraft, — shared Vitaly Prokopyev.
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