FalconSat
“Learning space by doing space” is the motto of the Academy’s unique FalconSat senior capstone engineering program, a program unlike any other undergraduate space program in the world. Each year Astronautics Department faculty, aided by experts from other departments, NCOs, technicians and contractors, provide Astro majors with the real hands-on experience of designing, building, testing, and launching satellites.
FalconSat’s roots trace back to the early 1980s when the first cadet experiments were designed for space shuttle missions. These later morphed into balloon-launched testbeds and small payloads followed by free-flying satellites launched in the early 2000s. Since the mid-2000s, the Air Force Research Lab has sponsored the FalconSAT program, providing funding and payloads to give cadets this unique opportunity. Each FalconSat has included payloads intended to provide flight heritage and experimental data.
Cadet Space Operations Squadron
Experiences with FalconSat is not limited to seniors or Astro majors. Cadets belonging to the Cadet Space Operations Squadron get to operate satellites and control the entire FalconSat Constellation.
The Cadet Space Operations Squadron provides our cadets, of any year or major, the opportunity to “learn space by doing space.” Cadets operate two LEO satellites that host several research and development experiments supporting a multitude of space mission areas. This cadet-led “Guardianship” program is a six-month long training pipeline where experienced cadets instruct new members on how to conduct basic space operations, joint space mission planning, and space systems anomaly resolution, providing real world experience of space systems.
