During a virtual event Thursday, London, Ontario based Western University and the Phoenix, Arizona based MILO Institute signed a memorandum of understanding to develop low-cost deep space missions starting with a CubeSat.
The MILO Institute is “a non-profit research collaborative led by Arizona State University, with support from Lockheed Martin and GEOshare, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin.”
According to Western, the “prime objectives for the MOU are a robotic mission to the lunar surface using an instrument built in Canada by Western researchers, as well as a series of missions to study Near Earth Asteroids.”
Attending the virtual announcement and representing Western University, the Milo Institute, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles were;
- David Thomas, MILO Institute, Executive Director
- James Bell, NewSpace Initiative Director, Arizona State University,
- Professor Sarah Gallagher, Canadian Space Agency Science Advisor
- Lesley Rigg, Western University Vice President (research)
- Gordon Osinski, Western Space Director
- Mourad Ratbi, Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles
- Zaib Shaikh Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles
Deep space missions to the Moon and asteroids
To start things off Western will provide one-unit of a six unit CubeSat to the MILO Institute and the University of Texas at El Paso for a mission planned to launch in June 2021.
Professor Jayshri Sabarinathan, associate director of training and education for the Institute for Earth & Space Exploration at Western will is leading the effort to get MILO the 1U CubeSat. She said in interview for Western News that the June 2021 launch date is an “aggressive timeline” and that “I’m very excited about the MOU and this collaboration between the MILO Institute and Western. It has already proved very beneficial to us and has resulted in a tremendous opportunity for Western to be part of a CubeSat mission next summer.”
The MILO mission is a “bonus” launch as the Western team has already been working on a CubeSat for the Canadian Space Agency Canadian CubeSat Project.
For that project Sabarinathan and her team have “been designing, developing and constructing a CubeSat with research partners at Nunavut Arctic College and Canadensys Aerospace Corporation, scheduled for launch in 2022. Ukpik-1, a two-unit CubeSat project outfitted with 360-degree imaging VR cameras and funded by the Canadian Space Agency, will fly to the International Space Station in two years as part of a European Space Agency mission.”
Commenting on the MOU Western Space Director Gordon Osinski said “this is just the start of a long-term relationship between our new Western Space institute and the MILO Institute. Arizona State is the premier university in the world for earth and space exploration research and Lockheed Martin is one the biggest space companies on the planet. They’re embarking on a series of ambitious asteroid and Moon missions and we’re excited to help them find those opportunities, train students and participate in future space explorations.”