HYPE is a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

PocketQube A PocketQube is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a size of cube with 5 cm sides (one eighth the volume of a CubeSat), has a mass of no more than 250 grams, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf comp ...

nanosatellite A small satellite, miniaturized satellite, or smallsat is a satellite of low mass and size, usually under . While all such satellites can be referred to as "small", different classifications are used to categorize them based on mass. Satellites c ...

developed by students at the

AGH University of Krakow AGH University of Krakow, (abbreviated as ''AGH University''; formerly: AGH University of Science and Technology or ''AGH UST'') is a public university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1913, its inauguration took place in 1919. The university foc ...

designed with a " selfie-stick" to image a 240x240px

OLED An organic light-emitting diode (OLED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is an organic compound film that emits light in respon ...

screen on the satellite's surface. At the time of its launch onboard the

Falcon 9 Falcon 9 is a Reusable launch system#Partial reusable launch systems, partially reusable, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. The first Falcon 9 launch was on June 4, 2010, an ...

Transporter-12 it is the smallest Polish satellite at 5x5x5cm.

Development

The name of the satellite, HYPE, was chosen by the students due to their enthusiasm in the project, to show that space is in reach for average people. The satellite is in part a proof of concept to promote the expansion of AGH's satellite building capabilities, and to expand various AGH labs and ground infrastructure to allow further space development on campus. The team behind HYPE have already started work on a larger

cubesat A CubeSat is a class of small satellite with a form factor of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit,, url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5418c831e4b0fa4ecac1bacd/t/5f24997b6deea10cc52bb016/1596234122437/CDS+REV14+2020-07-3 ...

to include a hyperspectral camera and an experimental laser communication module. The satellite was developed by the "SatLab" a club at the AGH University of Krakow in cooperation with the AGH Space Technology Centre. A special antenna was installed on the roof of the Space Technology Centre to remain in contact with HYPE, as well as to facilitate communications to future satellites. Although the satellite can also be communicated with through

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...

Payload

The satellite's primary payload was a "selfie stick", a camera module attached to a boom that would hang off the side of the satellite. The camera was positioned to take pictures of a 240x240px OLED screen which people can upload an image to, and receive a picture of a "selfie" of the image from the satellite. The goal of this mission is to promote Polish technological achievements and popularize space science and technology within Poland. The satellite's secondary payloads include a

infrared spectrometer Infrared spectroscopy (IR spectroscopy or vibrational spectroscopy) is the measurement of the interaction of infrared radiation with matter by absorption, emission, or reflection. It is used to study and identify chemical substances or functio ...

for the 640-1050nm range to monitor light pollution, the status of rain forests, and volcanic eruptions, as well as an experimental laser communication module, the first of its kind in Poland. The development team stated that they hope the data from HYPE could support research on topics including deforestation and gas emissions.

Mission

HYPE would be launched on-board the

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...

Falcon 9 Transporter-12 on January 14, 2025, at 19:09 UTC from

Vandenberg Space Force Base Vandenberg Space Force Base , previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the ...

. Upon reaching an orbit of 525km, the satellite would be deployed and within a 5-10 day window will separate from the other payloads and begin the process of unfurling its antenna and camera boom.

References

{{Orbital launches in 2025 Spacecraft launched in 2025 Satellites of Poland Polish inventions 2025 in Poland