February 2009

ESA, the European Space Agency, has chosen SPACEFISH, based on the SmartFish design, for the Bexus Program. SPACEFISH is the experimental evaluation of a high-performance, fish-shaped re-entry vehicle. The first SPACEFISH will be realized by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in collaboration with SmartFish. Our flight from the balloon will take place in October 09.

For more information about the chosen projects for Bexus please read here.

The BEXUS program is an annual stratospheric balloon program for university students and aims to provide practical experience from a real space project. BEXUS is a cooperative programme implemented by the SSC together with DLR, MORABA and is financed by the Swedish National Space Board and DLR.

The basic idea behind BEXUS is to provide an experimental space platform for students in the field of aerospace technology. "Besides additional study motivation, the students also gain experience in scientific experimental probe design, project team work and management which are important knowledge for their future careers”.

There is not only good news from ESA; we have also won a new sponsor, Fieldview:

Turning raw simulation data into high-value information is straightforward and simple with FieldView’s advanced post-processing and visualization capabilities. The Smartfish team relies on FieldView to easily and creatively review simulation results, foster an efficient workflow, and automate repetitive tasks. Because FieldView can easily handle large datasets and unsteady simulations, valuable review time is never hampered by large or complex data. Multiple element types, including arbitrary elements, can be reviewed in FieldView, and direct comparisons and evaluation with both simulation and test data are routine. Even if used only occasionally, the intuitive FieldView interface makes it easy to pick up and continue existing work, while the open system supports a wide range of solution data formats.