Mexico City, May 22, 2023.- Within the framework of FAMEX 2023, AztechSat ConstellationConstelación AztechSat, a project in which the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad Panamericana collaborates with five Mexican universities, in conjunction with the Mexican Space Agency (AEM) and NASA, completed its first design phase, known as Mission Concept Review (MCR).
Dr. Margarita Hurtado Hernández, deputy director of the School of Engineering, and Dr. Ángel García Hernández, coordinator of the project at Panamericana, were invited to this review, which took place at the Military Aviation Museum.
Representatives from each of the universities participating in the project were also present:
- José Francisco Valdés Galicia, coordinator of the University Space Program of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
- Enrique Gerardo Sosa Gutiérrez, rector of the Aeronautical University of Querétaro (UNAQ).
- Eugenio Urrutia Albisua, Vice Rector for Research and General Director of the project at the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP).
- Carlos Antonio Contreras López, rector of the Universidad Politécnica de Querétaro (UPQ).
Driving innovation and spatial development
In her message, Dr. Hurtado said: "It has been very valuable for Panamericana to advance in this first phase of AztechSat II. This project is aligned with the objectives of our Colibri Space LaboratoryIt allows us to promote education and multidisciplinary research and to contribute to the solution of global problems through the development of space technology.
He also said: "It has been very enriching to work with other educational and governmental institutions. These types of projects are indispensable to boost innovation and development of the space sector in Mexico and we are very happy to be part of it."
The role of the Pan-American
In his presentation, Dr. Angel Garcia explained that the AztechSat II constellation will design four nanosatellites in Mexico to locate marine fauna, specifically large mammals.
He revealed that the researchers and students who are part of the Colibri MissionHe revealed that the researchers and students who are part of Colibri Mission, from our university, will be in charge of the evaluation and identification of technical risks that the mission may have (electronics, launching, integration, thermal systems, etc.) to create proposals to mitigate them.
He also added: "The UP has a commitment in the Colibri Space Laboratory to invest in this type of project. AztechSat has a great responsibility, together with UNAM and UPAEP, to implement the management of the project and we are proud that our UP community is part of this".
A big step for Mexico
Andres Martinez, space program executive of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems Division, who will coordinate this approximately three-year project, highly praised Mexico and its youth for their role in this space project.
"This is a second step for the AztechSat project, but a big step for Mexico because of the talent, dedication, ingenuity and commitment of its youth, which I am sure will be repeated with this new generation of satellites, since technology that does not yet exist will be developed," said Martinez.
He further added: "Derivatives of this technology (to be developed with AztechSat II), will be applied in the near future for space exploration of the moon in the Artemis project (which seeks to return mankind to the moon after 50 years)."
For his part, the General Coordinator for Human Capital Formation in the space field of the AEM AEMCarlos Duarte Muñoz, on behalf of Salvador Landeros Ayala, Director General of the AEM, congratulated the participating universities.
"We are very excited about this first achievement in the progress of the project and it is a great source of pride that Mexican talent has been able to develop the first technological concepts that tomorrow will shape the prototypes of nanosatellites that will allow us to monitor and care for the marine fauna along the coasts of Mexico and the UnitedStates.
About AztechSat
The AztechSat Constellation project is a joint initiative of AEM and NASA to develop a constellation of at least four nanosatellites for animal telemetry applications.
Its mission is to develop a proof-of-concept of a space-based system to monitor marine wildlife from space in order to understand their migration habits to protect the species from hazards such as collisions with offshore installations or deep-draft vessels.
The following universities are participating in this project:
- National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
- Aeronautical University of Querétaro (UNAQ).
- Universidad Panamericana (UP).
- Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP).
- Querétaro Polytechnic University (UPQ).
