ALEASAT is an Earth-observation satellite that can be used by radio amateurs to assist in disaster relief operations. Equipped with an on-board camera, ALEASAT will allow radio amateurs to request imagery of a specific location on Earth, and then downlink that imagery directly from the satellite. In contrast to methods used by most other amateur satellites with an Earth observation capability, ALEASAT’s targeted approach has direct applications to disaster monitoring and relief activities. This project can serve as a precursor to a future amateur satellite constellation dedicated to disaster monitoring. In addition to ALEASAT itself, the team is also building the necessary ground station infrastructure in order to communicate with the satellite.

 

With support from UBC, the Radio Amateurs of Canada, and the European Space Agency's Fly Your Satellite! Programme, we are in the process of building and testing our satellite with an aim to launch it in a few years.