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Scaling up space science: The º£½ÇÉçÇø’s upcoming RADICALS mission (artist’s conception here) marks a significant expansion of the university’s space program. This $20M, suitcase-sized satellite, led by Ian Mann’s physics group, represents the next step in scale and ambition, building on the success of previous projects, such as AlbertaSat and PEPPER-X.

A student team launched their PEPPER-X experiment into space aboard a NASA rocket in August 2024. The project, a culmination of 16 months of work by º£½ÇÉçÇø students from the faculties of Science and Engineering, marks the first time a non-American team has participated in NASA’s RockSat-X program.

PEPPER-X studies interactions between energetic particles from the sun and Earth’s magnetic field, showing their effect on climate. Project manager and graduate student Erik Halliwell praised the student-led nature of the project and the hands-on experience of designing, manufacturing and testing equipment. Faculty empowered students to “figure it out,” he says. Halliwell won an award for a presentation about the project from the American Geophysical Union.

PEPPER-X’s selection for the NASA program followed a competition where the team outperformed others from prestigious universities. Joyce Winterton, senior advisor at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, praised the team’s “professionalism and dedication throughout the process.” Students are now analyzing data, which will inform their work on the upcoming RADICALS satellite (see image). Halliwell says the goal is to advance scientific understanding and train the next generation of aerospace professionals.