BRITE-Constellation: Two low-cost Canadian nanosatellites launched

Nanosatellites will form a unique "constellation" aimed at understanding the ecology of the Universe. 

Together, the satellites are known as the BRITE-Constellation, standing for BRIght Target Explorer.

Credit: UTIAS - Space Flight Laboratory.

Two nanosatellites were launched from Yasny, Russia, at 15:11:11 Eastern Daylight Time today by Anthony Moffat, of the University of Montreal and the Centre for Research in Astrophysics of Quebec (CRAQ), and UTIAS, the Canadian research and technology team he leads.

Costing a fraction of conventional space telescopes and similar in size and weight to a car battery, the satellites are two of six that will work together to shed light on the structures and life stories of some of the brightest stars in the sky, uncovering unique clues as to the origins of our own Sun and Earth.

Together, the satellites are known as the BRITE-Constellation, standing for BRIght Target Explorer.

"BRITE-Constellation will monitor for long stretches of time the brightness and colour variations of most of the brightest stars visible to the eye in the night sky. These stars include some of the most massive and luminous stars in the Galaxy, many of which are precursors to supernova explosions."

"This project will contribute to unprecedented advances in our understanding of such stars and the life cycles of the current and future generations of stars," said Professor Moffat, who is the scientific mission lead for the Canadian contribution to BRITE and current chair of the international executive science team.

Luminous stars dominate the ecology of the Universe. "During their relatively brief lives, massive luminous stars gradually eject enriched gas into the interstellar medium, adding heavy elements critical to the formation of future stars, terrestrial planets and organics."

"In their spectacular deaths as supernova explosions, massive stars violently inject even more crucial ingredients into the mix."

"The first generation of massive stars in the history of the Universe may have laid the imprint for all future stellar history," Moffat explained.

"Yet, massive stars, rapidly spinning and with radiation fields whose pressure resists gravity itself - are arguably the least understood, despite being the brightest members of the familiar constellations of the night sky."

Other less-massive stars, including stars similar to our own Sun, also contribute to the ecology of the Universe, but only at the end of their lives, when they brighten by factors of a thousand and shed off their tenuous outer layers.

Nanosatellites will form a unique "constellation" aimed at understanding the ecology of the Universe. 

Together, the satellites are known as the BRITE-Constellation, standing for BRIght Target Explorer. 

Credit: UTIAS - Space Flight Laboratory

BRITE-Constellation is in fact a multinational effort that relies on pioneering Canadian space technology and a partnership with Austrian and Polish space researchers – the three countries act as equal partners.

Canada's participation was made possible thanks to an investment of $4.07 million by the Canadian Space Agency.

The two new Canadian satellites are joining two Austrian satellites and a Polish satellite already in orbit; the final Polish satellite will be launched in August.

All six satellites were designed by the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies - Space Flight Laboratory, who also built the Canadian pair.

The satellites are were in fact named "BRITE Toronto" and "BRITE Montreal" after the University of Toronto and the University of Montreal, who play a major role in the mission.

"BRITE-Constellation will exploit and enhance recent Canadian advances in precise attitude control that have opened up for space science the domain of very low cost, miniature spacecraft, allowing a scientific return that otherwise would have had price tags 10 to 100 times higher," Moffat said.

"This will actually be the first network of satellites devoted to a fundamental problem in astrophysics."

The nanosatellites will be able to explore a wide range of astrophysical questions. "The constellation could detect exoplanetary transits around other stars, putting our own planetary system in context, or the pulsations of red giants, which will enable us to test and refine our models regarding the eventual fate of our Sun," Moffatt explained.

Canadian Astronaut and ISS Cmdr, Chris Hadfield Prepares to Return to Earth - Video

Canadian Astronaut and ISS Cmdr Hadfield’s charm and easy way with the camera are not the whole story behind his popularity. Long before setting off on this expedition to the space station, officials at the Canadian Space Agency were preparing him for fame.

Recognising his ability to explain complex issues easily, they gave him a video camera several years ago and asked him to begin practicing with it through his training.

Since he has been at the space station, a team back in Quebec have been dreaming up ideas for him to talk about, experiments for him to perform and writing scripts for the dozens of videos he has produced.

A professional editing team have polished the footage he has sent back, setting his antics to zany music and with fun graphics.

His final video dispatch from the Space Station (shown above) was a cover of the David Bowie song Space Oddity.

The music video, believed to be the first filmed in space, shows Cmdr Hadfield floating through various parts of the space station and playing his guitar along to a backing track.


Together, what Cmdr Hadfield and his team have achieved is to bring the space station alive for those back on Earth.

They have transformed the ISS from being a sprawling £84 billion laboratory where just an elite few who travel, into a place of wonderment – a playground where all the things we take for granted can be turned on their head.

Being able to share in just a part of that through Cmdr Hadfield’s videos has somehow helped to make the enormous building and running costs of the space station easier to swallow.

It has given the world the chance to be part of something very special.

Canadian Physicists predict cooler computers

Canadian physicists say they have discovered new behaviours of light occurring within photonic crystals.

University of Toronto quantum optics researchers Professor Sajeev John and doctoral student Xun Ma said their findings could lead to faster optical information processing and compact computers that don't overheat.

"We discovered that by sculpting a unique artificial vacuum inside a photonic crystal, we can completely control the electronic state of artificial atoms within the vacuum," Ma, lead author of the study, said. "This discovery can enable photonic computers that are more than 100 times faster than their electronic counterparts, without heat dissipation issues and other bottlenecks currently faced by electronic computing."

John said he and Ma designed a vacuum in which light passes through circuit paths whose character changes drastically and abruptly with the wave length of the light.

"A vacuum experienced by light is not completely empty, and can be made even emptier," said John. "It's not the traditional understanding of a vacuum."

Ma added: "In this vacuum, the state of each atom -- or quantum dot -- can be manipulated with color-coded streams of laser pulses that sequentially excite and de-excite it in trillionths of a second. These quantum dots can in turn control other streams of optical pulses, enabling optical information processing and computing."

The research is reported in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Russia's ARMZ wants two-thirds of Canadian Uranium mining rival

Russian state-owned mining firm ARMZ Uranium Holding Company wants to acquire at least two-thirds of Canadian rival Khan Resources Incorporated, Russian news agencies reported on Monday.

"Two-thirds of shares would suit us," ARMZ director general Vadim Jivov was quoted as saying by Ria Novosti on Monday, adding that his company would not buy at "just any price."

Khan Resources had announced on Friday that it was the target of a hostile takeover bid from ARMZ at 65 Canadian cents per share. ARMZ is a subsidiary of Rosatom, Russia's nuclear energy corporation.

"After the announcement of our intention to buy the shares, we have the right to receive the list of all of the company's shareholders and communicate to each one of them," Jivov said. "We intend to do this soon."

Khan Resources owns 58 percent of the exploitation license for a uranium mine in Dornod, Mongolia. ARMZ owns 21 percent of the license while Mongolia has the remaining 21 percent.

But Mongolia and Russia signed an agreement in August to jointly exploit the Dornod uranium deposit and create a joint company with equal stakes by the end of the year.

Canadian space tourist and founder of Cirque du Soleil Guy Laliberte

Canadian space tourist and founder of Cirque du Soleil Guy Laliberte jokes with his wife during a press conference at Kazakhstan's Baikonur cosmodrome. He is due to launch into space today/tomorrow.

Picture: AFP/GETTY