Valparaiso University Joins “Dream Big” Collaboration on Undergraduate Satellite Project

Valparaiso University’s College of Engineering has joined five other Universities in the region in NearSpace Education’s Dream Big Program. NearSpace Education is an Indiana-based nonprofit whose stated mission is to “inspire, equip, and impact the next generation of STEM students through innovative educational programs.” The project will also involve close collaboration with both other departments on campus and educational institutions within the community.

“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Ben Jones ’25 said. “The big impact I see is not only being able to help my career with this amazing opportunity but helping others who are interested in space technology get that opportunity to learn as well and that’s why I’m excited about the future.”

Valparaiso University students will create a system by which ground stations in the SatNOGS network can download data from the satellite. These ground stations are only capable of receiving information and cannot “talk back” to the satellite, meaning the data has to be sent blindly and without direct coordination. Students have a deadline of April 15, 2025, to design and build the components that will carry out this task. The satellite will launch in late 2025 – early 2026.

As part of the Dream Big project and NearSpace’s mission to inspire STEM students, the Valparaiso University satellite team will host three high-altitude balloon launches throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. These educational events will involve local school districts, with the hope that they can inspire younger students to start thinking about pursuing space-based engineering.  

“I see this as a recruiting effort, both for the University and for the satellite team,” Dan White, Ph.D., assistant professor of electronic and computer engineering, said. “If you really want to build a satellite as an undergraduate here, you have to start early. If people are thinking about building satellites at Valpo while they’re in high school, that would be great.” 

These launches will also involve a large amount of interdepartmental partnership. The Department of Geography, Meteorology, and Environmental Science, which has hosted several balloon launches in the past, will provide advising, while the Department of Education will help work with local schools on maximizing the educational value of the events. The first launch is scheduled for November 6, with the remaining launches to be determined in the spring semester. 

Valparaiso University joined the program after Professor White and students of the College of Engineering met representatives from NearSpace at the 2024 Small Satellite Conference in Utah as part of a separate summer grant. When another institution already on the project backed out, NearSpace reached out to Valpo to see if the University would be interested in taking their place. The Valpo satellite team, who had, until then, been in the early stages of planning their own, complete PocketQube satellite, accepted the offer. As part of Dream Big, the Valpo team will only be responsible for the satellite’s payload (primarily the radio communication system), while NearSpace will provide the remainder of the machine.

“We see that as reducing the risk of our mission,” Professor White said.

While the Dream Big project may reduce the number of separate components Valpo students will have to design and build, the payload alone will be an exercise in extreme precision and planning. The satellite has a limited amount of space that the payload can occupy, and every gram of weight will have to be accounted for in the plan. Valpo engineers will be required to create a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) model accurate to every screw and bolt and ensure that every step of the process is meticulously documented. 

In addition to its own payload, Valparaiso University’s satellite will host a payload from the University of Luxembourg that utilizes an electromagnetic system that, along with the Earth’s natural, magnetic field, will allow the satellite to rotate.

The Dream Big program is not the only way that Valparaiso University students are getting the opportunity to make a difference in space. Several recent projects were funded by the Indiana Space Grant Consortium focusing on various aspects of the cosmos. To read about more exciting grants, projects, and initiatives at Valparaiso University, visit valpo.edu/stories.