uPGRADE project meeting takes place at INL

The final meeting of the uPGRADE project was held on Monday, October 23, at INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory. 

The meeting attendees included Spin.Works, the leading company, ISQ – Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, and a team from the University of Texas Center for Space Research at Austin, represented by Dr João Encarnação (currently at TU Delft) and the distinguished Professor Byron Tapley. Professor Tapley is responsible for the major space missions GRACE and GRACE-FO, which have provided instrumental gravimetric data for the understanding of climate change in recent decades. Rosana Dias and Filipe Alves from the Integrated Micro and Nanotechnologies Research Group coordinated INL and UMinho’s work on the uPGRADE project. 

The uPGRADE CubeSat is part of the ‘goPortugal – Global Science and Technology Partnerships Portugal’ initiative and is co-financed by the FEDER program, through Compete2020 of the European Union, by the Regional Operational Programs, and by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). 

During the meeting, the team members reviewed the project’s significant conclusions and hurdles, as well as the next steps and plans for further collaboration, including planning the uPGRADE satellite launch. 

Both Portugal and Texas team members considered the project a success, and uPGRADE is regarded as a valuable stepping stone towards gravimetric cubesat missions. 

The Integrated Micro and Nanotechnologies Research Group acknowledges all partners and looks forward to continuing to advance this fruitful collaboration.