BobcatOrbiter is a type of satellite formfactor called a “TubeSat.” This satellite was funded through grant money acquired by Dr. Rangelov and purchased as a kit and flight from Interorbital Systems.
The goal of BobcatOrbiter is largely to be the first satellite developed solely at our university. We want to establish Texas State University as a leader in spacecraft design and operations. This requires us to start somewhere and BobcatOrbiter is that somewhere. The lessons we learn and the documentation/infrastructure we build while designing BobcatOrbiter will be used in future missions, starting a snowball effect of ever-increasingly complex and cutting-edge missions.
Onboard, BobcatOrbiter is a host of environmental sensors that collect data like battery voltage, temperature, etc. The main “payload” of the satellite is a pair of radiation sensors that will collect nominal radiation levels of the altitude that our satellite orbits. All this data will be transmitted back to Earth and displayed in our lab.