Paris space club's experiments fly high on Ariane 6
PariSat, one of the experiments that is now on board the first flight of Ariane 6, was developed by members of GAREF Aerospatial, an amateur space club based in Paris.
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According to GAREF's Elias Alaoui Chrifi, PariSat consists of two experiments, one of which will look at the thermal radiation of different materials in space. "The second is a photography experiment that will take pictures of our planet," he said.
Chrifi explains that PariSat, which is around 40 cm long,10 cm wide and 20 m high and weighs around 8 kg, will remain attached to the upper stage of Ariane 6 and will make two orbits of the earth before re-entering the atmosphere at the end of Ariane 6's mission.
He added that the project began at the end of 2021, following a call for opportunities from the European Space Agency, "which secured us a spot on Ariane 6";
"Being part of the first launch of Ariane 6, Europe's new flagship rocket, is a tremendous honor. It connects with GAREF's long history, dating back to the launch of an experiment called Thésée on Ariane 1 flight L04 in 1981," he added.
He also noted that the launch of PariSat coincided with the 60th anniversary of GAREF, which was founded in 1964 in Paris.
GAREF Aerospatial
GAREF is an amateur space club based in Paris for young people between the ages of eight and 25.
The club has a history of getting young people in space and electronics projects.
Members participate in a range of activities, from building experimental rockets and stratospheric balloons to developing satellites. The club is supported by the City of Paris and the CNES (French National Space Agency).
The PariSat experiment was launched aboard the Ariane 6 rocket and included a GoPro camera adapted for space, capturing images of Earth
The project not only provided practical engineering experience but also contributed to scientific understanding of the earths athmosphere.
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