Binar Space Program:
Three tiny Australian satellites from Curtin University’s Binar Space Program burned up in Earth’s atmosphere due to solar activity.
- Binar Space Program is a satellite research program operating out of Curtin University.
- It aims to advance our understanding of the Solar System and lower the barrier for operating in space.
- The program began operations with its first satellite, Binar-1, in September 2021. This was less than a year into solar cycle 25 when solar activity was relatively low.
- In these conditions, the ten-centimetre cube satellite started at an altitude of 420 km and survived a full 364 days in orbit.
- The program’s follow-up mission – Binar-2, 3, and 4 – were three equally sized CubeSats. However, they were expected to last approximately six months owing to the extra surface area from new deployable solar arrays and a forecast increase in solar activity.
- As the Sun kicked into high gear, these three satellites burned up in the atmosphere much sooner than expected.
