In the last few days before a New Brunswick satellite vaporizes, researchers aren't giving up. They're fighting to make contact before it's too late.
WATCH: Scientists at the University of New Brunswick are putting in last-ditch efforts to contact their satellite. The loaf-sized contraption was launched into space in March, but they haven’t received any transmissions from it yet. Now, time is running out. Anna Mandin reports.“We’re making every effort we can to communicate with VIOLET before it will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere,” Troy Lavigne, one of the program’s project officers, said.
The University of New Brunswick’s research team wasn’t able to identify which one was VIOLET early on, and two have already vaporized — meaning they have a one in three chance that the remaining satellite is VIOLET. According to Lavigne, theories around why VIOLET isn’t sending back messages range from transmission challenges to a solar storm that may have damaged it.For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.“Recently, one of the things that we’ve done is we’ve started yelling louder at VIOLET,” he said.
Lavigne said they only have about 10 to 15 minutes to communicate with the satellite a day — or approximately 120 more minutes before VIOLET enters the atmosphere.Lavigne said the satellite may send back some information when it enters Earth’s atmosphere, but even if it doesn’t he still believes it’s a success.
“To see the steps that the other teammates took, to see how much thought and effort went into it to really try and narrow down on the issue itself, that was its own experience too,” he said.Mathias Huyghe came from France for an internship at the University of New Brunswick, and spent the summer working on part of the next satellite.“They really trust me with the project, so I can be part of something that will go to space one day.
Canadian Space Agency Fredericton University Of New Brunswick Canada
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