A team of engineering students with the Warwick University School of Engineering’s Warwick Satellite Team (WUSAT) used SOLIDWORKS Education Edition software to design and manufacture a cube-shaped nanosatellite that was carried into space atop a REXUS rocket to support atmospheric research into establishing a method for discovering Earth-like exoplanets.

THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICKDEVELOPING A NANOSATELLITE WITH SOLIDWORKS

EDUCATION EDITION

“The satellite package requires a multidisciplinary approach, including mechanical, electrical, and computer systems design,” Dr. Crofts explains. “To facilitate the team’s work, they needed access to a 3D development platform. SOLIDWORKS®

Education Edition software is the standard for mechanical design instruction at Warwick, and the WUSAT Team chose to use SOLIDWORKS software on this satellite project.”

“Every member of our team—four students devoted to mechanical design and four students focused on electrical system development—has a student version of SOLIDWORKS software, which we relied on heavily,” notes mechanical engineering major and team member Sam Tucker-Harvey. “The ability to conduct a linear static stress analysis while designing components and assemblies in SOLIDWORKS has been a big help.”

BEATING OUT A DOZEN COMPETITIVE TEAMSESA chose the WUSAT Team’s entry over proposals submitted by a dozen competing teams, after which the WUSAT Team began the hard work of designing satellite systems and developing prototypes. The team’s fi rst prototype satellite, the WUSAT1, was launched in 2013 via a high-altitude weather balloon to an altitude of 30 km to test systems operations in the harsh environment at the limits of the Earth’s atmosphere, where the ambient temperature dropped to less than -50°C.

Following that test, the team used SOLIDWORKS software to quickly develop the actual satellite, the WUSAT2, which will reach an altitude of 100 km when it is launched from the Esrange Space Centre in northern Sweden in 2015. The team also leveraged SOLIDWORKS software to develop the spectroscopy payload, which will sample elements of the Earth’s atmosphere as it descends and will emulate and prove a method for analyzing potential exoplanets.

Challenge:Develop a proposal and nanosatellite with a spectroscopy payload as part of the European Space Agency (ESA) Rocket Experiments for University Students (REXUS) program, which is sponsored by the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB) and the German Space Agency (DLR). The program provides students with the opportunity to launch experiments into space atop a European rocket.

Solution:Implement and utilize SOLIDWORKS Education Edition design software to design the satellite and support its proposal.

Benefi ts:• Won REXUS space launch competition• Developed nanosatellite with

spectroscopy payload• Gained real-world engineering experience• Facilitated collaboration across

multidisciplinary team

“Every member of our team—four students devoted to mechanical design and four

students focused on electrical system development—has a student version of SOLIDWORKS software, which we relied on heavily. The ability to conduct a linear static stress analysis while designing components and assemblies in SOLIDWORKS has been a big help.”

— Sam Tucker-Harvey, Mechanical Engineering Student and WUSAT Team Member

One of the United Kingdom’s leading universities, the University of Warwick emphasizes globally connected, forward-looking, and entrepreneurial approaches to education, creating an inspiring institution for study and research. In keeping with its mission, the university’s School of Engineering established the Warwick Satellite Programme—also known as the WUSAT Team—to provide engineering students with real-world, multi-disciplinary experience through the development of satellites.

Founded in 2006, the WUSAT Team had previously developed the electrical power subsystem for the European Space Agency’s European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO) satellite. In an effort to design an entire satellite, the WUSAT Team entered the ESA’s Rocket Experiments for University Students (REXUS) competition, which is sponsored by the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB) and the German Space Agency (DLR) to provide students with the chance to compete for the opportunity to launch experiments into space atop a European rocket.

According to Dr. William Crofts, director of the Warwick Satellite Programme, the WUSAT entry in the REXUS program was a cube-shaped nanosatellite—a cube 0.1m wide with a mass of less than 1.33 kg—which will carry a small light spectrometer to sample elements in the atmosphere to support research into establishing a method for discovering Earth-like exoplanets.

Our 3DEXPERIENCE® platform powers our brand applications, serving 12 industries, and provides a rich portfolio of industry solution experiences. Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE® Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. Dassault Systèmes’ collaborative solutions foster social innovation, expanding possibilities for the virtual world to improve the real world. The group brings value to over 190,000 customers of all sizes in all industries in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com.

Europe/Middle East/AfricaDassault Systèmes10, rue Marcel DassaultCS 4050178946 Vélizy-Villacoublay CedexFrance

AmericasDassault Systèmes175 Wyman StreetWaltham, Massachusetts02451-1223USA

Asia-Pacifi cDassault Systèmes K.K.ThinkPark Tower2-1-1 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku,Tokyo 141-6020Japan

MULTIDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATIONAlthough the team needed to bring mechanical, electrical, and computer systems design and engineering capabilities to the development of the WUSAT satellite, it relies on SOLIDWORKS mechanical design software as its primary design and modeling tool. “SOLIDWORKS provides us with a single, visual, 3D platform for developing the various subsystems and integrating them together in the satellite,” Tucker-Harvey says.

“Whenever we encounter obstacles, the entire team can gather around a single computer to review the models and discuss issues,” he continues. “We can create images or animations to better visualize designs and communicate more effectively. We also rely on SOLIDWORKS software to drive production—whether we’re generating prototype parts on a 3D printer or cutting components on the CNC mills in our machine shop.”

WORKING WITH ESAAn important requirement for teams selected to participate in REXUS is participation in a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) with ESA personnel and preparation of a Student Experiment Document (SED), for which SOLIDWORKS communication tools are extremely valuable. During the PDR, the team will discuss its satellite and experiment with a team of space experts, providing an invaluable experience that will help the team overcome the challenges of operating in space, including 20 g loads and temperatures from -50°C to 200°C.

“This program is incredibly enriching for our students because of the range of real-world experiences that they have,” Dr. Crofts stresses. “It’s a truly professional experience, for which they need a professional design package like SOLIDWORKS. With SOLIDWORKS software, the students have all of the design and communication capabilities that they need to complete the satellite project successfully.”

©20

15 D

assa

ult S

ystè

mes

. All

righ

ts re

serv

ed. 3

DEX

PER

IEN

CE®

, the

Com

pass

icon

and

the

3DS

logo

, CA

TIA

, SO

LID

WO

RKS

, EN

OVI

A, D

ELM

IA, S

IMU

LIA

, GEO

VIA

, EXA

LEA

D, 3

D V

IA, 3

DSW

YM, B

IOVI

A, N

ETVI

BES

, and

3D

EXCI

TE a

re c

omm

erci

al tr

adem

arks

or r

egis

tere

d tr

adem

arks

of

Das

saul

t Sys

tèm

es o

r its

sub

sidi

arie

s in

the

U.S

. and

/or o

ther

cou

ntri

es. A

ll ot

her t

rade

mar

ks a

re o

wne

d by

thei

r res

pect

ive

owne

rs. U

se o

f any

Das

saul

t Sys

tèm

es o

r its

sub

sidi

arie

s tr

adem

arks

is s

ubje

ct to

thei

r exp

ress

wri

tten

app

rova

l. M

KWA

RCS

ENG

0915

Focus on the University of Warwick

Headquarters: Warwick Satellite ProgrammeSchool of EngineeringCoventry, West Midlands CV4 7ALUNITED KINGDOMPhone: +44 (0)24 7652 8193

For more informationwww2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/meng/wusat/

The WUSAT team gained valuable real-world experience by leveraging SOLIDWORKS Education Edition software to support a multidisciplinary approach to satellite design, manufacture, and assembly.