When electrical engineering student Chris Rodriguez grew tired of seeing the same projects offered at FIU last fall, he decided to start a project that could result in having a satellite launched into space.

When electrical engineering student Chris Rodriguez grew tired of seeing the same projects offered at FIU last fall, he decided to start a project that could result in having a satellite launched into space.

He teamed up with his friend Henric Boiardt, a public administration major, to enter the Florida University Satellite Design Competition.

NASA’s Florida Space Grant Consortium runs a competition that challenges Florida students to build an amateur satellite.

“I have always had an interest in tinkering and building things and when he [Chris Rodriguez] came to ask me to join the program, the idea intrigued me,” Boiardt said.

According to Rodriguez, the satellite they designed focused on an innovative way to improve the communication between amateur satellites.

“The idea was innovative and promising to amateur satellites that are limited to twice a day communications for 15 minutes because of their orbit,” Rodriguez said.

Despite the fact that the team of two students was competing against teams of six students with more experience, Rodriguez and Boiardt won second place with their design, along with $2,000 from the Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC) to further fund their project idea.

“It was a proud moment for us and for FIU, but no one ever found out except for a few FIU students we took to the competition as guests,” Rodriguez said.

This year, they are entering the competition again, creating a satellite that will analyze space weather, a growing concern of several organizations including NASA, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Space weather is the effect that space and solar flares in particular can have on the environment, according to the official NASA Web site.

Rodriguez said research in this area is vital because communication satellites in space are in danger, such as current GPS systems.

The concept of the satellite will be disclosed to the public this upcoming January through a presentation at the Engineering Center. The final presentation location and time is still to be determined.

Building a satellite requires between $10-15,000, but with the team receiving just $2,000, the two students will need funding from external sources to make their design come to life.

“This is cheap by satellite standards, but a burden for students to raise,” said Rodriguez. “Many institutions, like the University of Florida, are funded fully or partly by their school.”

The deadline for students to join this competition team is September and Rodriguez is looking for mechanical and physics students to join.

“You can’t get closer to what you will see in the job environment than this. This is an emerging technology that is getting popular. The people involved in these satellites are pioneers into a world of bringing costs drastically down and increasing the availability of space research,” Rodriguez said, when asked why students should join the program.

Boiardt said that with more people helping the team, FIU will continue to receive more awards and possibly more funding.

“Space weather and other related programs are a big concern for the government and it’s a good way to get a foot in the door,” Boiardt said.

For more information on the satellite design competition, e-mail crodr021@fiu.edu.