Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) and BRITE-Constellation team win 2024 Alouette Award for Outstanding Canadian Space Technology

The Alouette Award presentations were made at the 2024 Gala Dinner: (L to R) Dr. Philip Ferguson of CASI, Mr. Doug Sinclair of Sinclair Interplanetary, Dr. Jean-Claude Piedboeuf of Canadian Space Agency, Dr. Robert E. Zee of Space Flight Laboratory (SFL), and Mr. Geoffrey Languedoc of CASI. [Photo credit: Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute]

Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) is one of five organizations honored as team recipients of the 2024 Alouette Award for the BRITE-Constellation space astronomy mission. SFL, now a four-time Alouette winner, designed and developed the six BRITE nanosatellites launched in 2013 and 2014.

The Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI) bestows the Alouette Award annually to recognize an outstanding contribution to advancement of Canadian space technology, application, science or engineering.

Dr. Robert E. Zee, SFL Founder and Director, who accepted the award on behalf of his organization, said, “A discovery-rich mission like the BRITE-Constellation would not have been possible without the confluence of great science, engineering innovation, and creative funding under leadership of the remarkable BRITE team.”

In addition to SFL, the 2024 Alouette Award recipients include –

• Canadian Space Agency, Dr. Jean-Claude Piedboeuf

• Canadian BRITE Science Team, Dr. Slavek Rucinski

• Ceravolo Optical Systems, Peter Ceravolo

• Sinclair Interplanetary, Doug Sinclair

BRITE, which stands for BRIght Target Explorer, is considered a success for achievements both in astronomical research and microspace technology. Funded jointly by Canada, Austria, and Poland, the goal of the BRITE mission – the world’s first space astronomy constellation – was to observe our galaxy’s brightest variable stars using space telescopes onboard the six 20x20x20-cm nanosatellites.

A primary challenge was for the 7-kg nanosatellites to maintain attitude control to keep the low-inertia spacecraft stable in orbit to precisely point their telescopes at the target stars for long periods. The BRITE satellites exceeded expectations and achieved pointing stability better than 12 arcseconds using small satellite attitude control technology developed and refined by SFL.

The other major accomplishment of the BRITE-Constellation was its longevity in making space astronomy observations. Three of the six SFL-built satellites operated for 10 years, far exceeding their two-year design lives. This enabled the mission to collect more than 1,600 photometric time series during more than 70 observation campaigns, each lasting months at a time.

SFL has been previously recognized by CASI with Alouette Awards for the 2003 MOST space astronomy microsatellite, 2008 CanX-2 technology nanosatellite, and the 2014 CanX-4/-5 formation flying mission. (Full mission details at https://www.utias-sfl.net/missions/)