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Help Space Concordia make giant leap

Students have launched campaign to crowdsource funds to fuel their space adventure
November 11, 2013
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By Laurence Miall

Few Canadian universities have built one satellite; Space Concordia is now working on its second. And the student team needs your help. With an enthusiastic endorsement from Marc Garneau, MP for Westmount-Ville Marie and Canada’s first astronaut, Space Concordia has launched an online campaign to raise $15,000 in support of the project.

Marc Garneau Canada’s first astronaut, Marc Garneau, enthusiastically endoses Space Concordia's project in their Kickstarter video. | Photos courtesy: Space Concordia

The new satellite, ConSat-2, is entered into the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge, a national competition among universities.

Building the satellite requires resources such as solar cells, to power it, and a transceiver, so it can communicate with ground control once in space. To raise the funds, Space Concordia has turned to crowdsourcing platform Kickstarter.

To date, over $2,000 in pledges have come in from all over the world. Contributors can receive different perks in return for their pledges, such as a Space Concordia T-shirt or even an autographed picture of Marc Garneau.

Space Concordia’s project was chosen among Kickstarter’s Staff Picks. The campaign was also featured on CBC news and CBC Radio One. To support the project yourself, please visit the team’s Kickstarter page.

About ConSat-2
ConSat-2 is intended to study how self-healing materials react in space, a test which has never been done before.

The concept behind self-healing materials is deceptively simple. As team leader Mehdi Sabzalian explains, it’s similar to blood coagulation following a cut, which eventually leads the skin to heal. Self-healing materials are made out of composites and the team has secured the help of one of the world’s experts in this area — Concordia’s very own Suong Hoa.

Team leader Mehdi Sabzalian (front row, second from left) with members of Space Concordia who are working on ConSat-2
Team leader Mehdi Sabzalian (front row, second from left) with members of Space Concordia who are working on ConSat-2.

This project is important, not only because of its potential scientific value, but also because it shows that Concordia’s undergraduate students are capable of working on challenging engineering feats.

The satellite is entered into the second Canadian Satellite Design Challenge.  Pitted against nine other teams, if Concordia’s entry is successful, the satellite will be launched into space.

About Space Concordia
Space Concordia is a team of Concordia engineering students who want to learn the techniques and processes of astronautical engineering. The association’s first satellite, ConSat-1, was the first-place winner in the inaugural Canadian Satellite Design Challenge in 2012 and it is currently part of the European Space Agency’s Fly Your Satellite program. The association comprises a spacecraft division, a rocketry division and a robotics division.

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