A Proud First: UVG Heads into … Outer Space!

2022-09-12T17:58:31+00:00

The first-ever Guatemalan satellite, “Quetzal 1,” a 1U-size CubeSat, rocketed from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station on March 6, 2020 in 2020, and was deployed from the ISS on April 28, 2020. Developed through the collaborative efforts of undergraduates from UVG’s mechanical engineering, mechatronics, electronics, and computer science departments, and supported by UVG faculty, its Research Institute, and international advisors, the miniature satellite’s mission is to collect real-time data on the cyanobacteria — toxic algae —  that threatens Guatemala’s treasured Lake Atitlán. Quetzal 1 will be an integral part of the ongoing lake-water monitoring and evaluation conducted through UVG’s [...]