Estonian satellite transmitting Valentine's Day messages to space
People can surprise their loved ones by sending their Valentine's Day greeting via Estonian-built satellite ESTCube-1.
In a most amorous fashion, the Estonian-built satellite ESTCube-1 will register romantic messages to loved ones until midnight of February 13. Messages will be saved to the satellite’s radiation-resistant memory and will orbit Earth for more than two decades.
Once sent, on February 14, the chosen “Valentine” will receive a love message and confirmation that it was sent to ESTCube-1 and is now also orbiting space.
Estonia conducted its first space mission in April 2013. Around 100 students and scientists contributed to creation of the tiny one-kilogram satellite, which was nearly six years in the making. The satellite was used as the basis for 40 research projects and three doctoral theses.
ESTCube-1′s main function in space, apart from an occasional offer of romantic gestures, is to conduct experiments with an electric solar wind sail, which scientists believe may allow space travelers to one day move faster and across greater distances. The satellite transmits data to Tartu Observatory in Tõravere, Estonia.
Editor: S. Tambur