E-st@r
| Company type | Satellite project |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Politecnico di Torino |
| Headquarters | Turin , Italy |
| Products | CubeSat satellite |
| Website | http://areeweb.polito.it/cubesat-team |
e-st@r (Educational Satellite @ Politecnico di Torino) was a compact 1U CubeSat satellite created by the Politecnico di Torino, featuring dimensions of 10 cm on each side and a mass below 1.33 kg.
Launch and deployment
Following the Polytechnic of Turin's unsuccessful satellite project in 2006, which ended due to a launch vehicle explosion, e-st@r was selected as one of seven CubeSats by the European Space Agency to participate in the maiden flight of the Vega launcher in 2012. This launch carried payloads from several European universities and organizations, alongside the Italian Space Agency’s LARES and the University of Bologna’s ALMASat-1.
The satellite was launched on 13 February 2012 from Kourou by Arianespace and successfully inserted into a low Earth orbit characterized by a 71° inclination and mild ellipticity, passing through the Van Allen radiation belts. Communication was established at 437.445 MHz with a transmission power of 0.5 W, utilizing a PIC microcontroller and operating within frequency bands designated by ESA. Although ground stations and amateur radio enthusiasts received signals effectively, mission performance was hindered by unforeseen tumbling motions, causing the system to enter safe mode.
The overall budget for the project was around 50,000 euros, with development carried out by the Polytechnic’s CubeSatTeam focused on picosatellite technology. This group subsequently progressed the initiative with e-st@r-II, which launched in 2016 under ESA’s "Fly Your Satellite" program.