FramSat-1 in Orbit: Student Project Makes Norwegian Space History
A milestone in Norwegian space history was marked on Saturday when FramSat-1 was successfully launched from Andøya Spaceport. With the launch, the students of Orbit NTNU took an important step from development and testing on the ground to operations in space.
FramSat-1 was developed by Orbit NTNU, a student organization at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) with more than 120 active members.
Through sponsorship and collaboration, KONGSBERG has helped provide the students with the opportunity to develop, build, and operate the satellite project, which has been under development for six years.
The mission represents the organization’s first satellite project built around a dedicated partner payload.
A Student Project of National Significance
The satellite is a 1U CubeSat developed following the approval of plans for an orbital spaceport at Andøya in 2020. The ambition was to build and operate a Norwegian satellite developed by students while also contributing to the strengthening of Norway’s space capabilities.
FramSat-1 builds on the experience gained from Orbit NTNU’s previous satellite project, SelfieSat, which was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket in 2022. Over several years, the students have designed, tested, and refined the satellite, often working with limited resources as part of a volunteer-driven student project.
From Launch to Operations
The successful launch marks the beginning of a new phase for the project. The focus now shifts to operating and monitoring the satellite in orbit. The students will track the satellite’s health and performance from ground stations in Norway and downlink data from the payload onboard.
Simply placing the satellite safely into orbit is a significant achievement. For the students, it means that years of development work can now be tested under real conditions in space.
“FramSat-1 is more than a satellite. It is a historic step for Norwegian space activity and the first orbital launch from Norwegian and European soil carrying a Norwegian satellite. The support we have received from KONGSBERG has been instrumental in making this chapter of Norwegian space history possible. I hope the project sparks the same passion within KONGSBERG that it has in us and helps strengthen the space industry in the years ahead,” says Herman Castberg, Project Manager of FramSat-1.
Testing Norwegian Space Technology
The satellite’s primary mission is to collect data from a Norwegian-developed sun sensor system supplied by Eidsvoll Electronics (EIDEL). The goal is to verify that the technology performs as expected in space and can be used in future satellite and space missions.
Space is a challenging environment for all electronics, and successful data collection will therefore be an important contribution to the continued development of Norwegian space technology.
KONGSBERG Contributes to the Next Generation of Space Engineers
KONGSBERG has been one of Orbit NTNU’s most important industry partners for many years and serves as the main sponsor of the FramSat project. Through this support, the company contributes to developing the next generation of space engineers and technology innovators. Projects like FramSat-1 provide students with unique hands-on experience across the entire value chain of a space mission, from design and integration to launch and on-orbit operations.
The successful launch demonstrates what can be achieved when ambitious students are given the opportunity to collaborate with leading industrial competence environments in Norway. The work of gathering the mission’s first results from space is now underway, and we congratulate Orbit NTNU on this historic milestone.
