Space Tech Symposium @ Berkeley 3.0 is a gathering of space tech pioneers in industry and research on UC Berkeley's campus. With the start of a new decade, the space industry has seen a big push in the development of actual infrastructure in space, indicative of the beginning of humanity's prolonged presence in space. Some of the most spectacular developments in space infrastructure include the rise of satellite constellations, and the development of lunar infrastructure. STS 3.0 aims to explore the possibilities and challenges that will come with these emerging new fields. To that end, our panelists include startup executives, researchers, and engineers who have the technical and industry knowledge to provide clarity on what the next decade of space technology will look like. Whether you want to build a space startup from the ground up, apply your technical knowledge in an unconventional way, or are already a space industry veteran, this event is for you.

Attendees will be able to interact with presenters as well as with fellow industry professionals attending the event. We’ll be holding 2 main speaker panels on Lunar Infrastructure and Satellite Constellations, as well as 2 keynote presentations.

STAC is very pleased to announce that our Quantum CubeSat (QubeSat) has been selected by NASA for the CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). This will allow our QubeSat to be launched as an auxiliary payload on a mission by NASA, another U.S. government agency, or by industry between 2021 and 2023. NASA’s CSLI will fully fund the launch of QubeSat and provides a low-cost pathway for conducting technology demonstrations in space.

The QubeSat project is one of eighteen accepted proposals that were submitted by NASA Institutes, research organizations, and universities. CubeSats are built in multiples of standard 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm (1U) units and are a primary way of democratizing space through providing an accessible method of in-space testing and development.

QubeSat Exploded View (Source: STAC)

The QubeSat project’s primary goal is to research the effects of space environments on quantum gyroscopes, a groundbreaking experimental sensor based on nitrogen vacancies (NV-) centers in diamonds. In comparison to more traditional onboard micromechanical gyroscopes, quantum gyroscopes provide improved resolution, improved drift stability and increased temperature operational range. QubeSat’s upcoming mission will allow us to evaluate the effect of the harsh space environment — including extreme temperatures, radiation, and magnetic field variation — that could affect the gyroscopes’s performance in small-scale spaceflight.

QubeSat’s secondary goal is to increase the accessibility of space and to inspire STEM education. Increasing accessibility to space starts at UC Berkeley and the STAC community, which is a group of over 60 passionate students who are working on a range of technologies aimed at making strides in space research. The QubeSat team and the larger STAC community hope to introduce high school and college students to our work though community outreach in the East Bay, giving them the support and inspiration to pursue microsatellite projects and careers in the burgeoning NewSpace era.

Here is a link to the NASA announcement: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-announces-next-round-of-candidates-for-cubesat-space-missions