A student from Southampton has spoken of his excitement ahead of seeing a satellite that he helped to build be launched into space.
Alejandro Parra Pintado, from the University of Southampton, has travelled to Oman to watch a rocket carrying the payload get blasted into earth's atmosphere.
The 23-year-old is part of a collaborative team of students from the universities of Southampton, Portsmouth and Surrey, backed by Space South Central , which made the satellite.
It was developed for the Joint Universities Programme for In-Orbit Training, Education and Research, known as JUPITER, which was established to give students hands-on space industry experience and training for their future careers.
Alejandro, who studies aeronautical and astronautical engineering at Southampton , developed the software that drives data between the Jovian-O payload and computer system.
He said: "This is nothing short of a dream come true. This experience has been invaluable in preparing me for a career in the space industry.
"I am very lucky to have learnt by doing, and I am sure that my fellow students, including Aditya Adwaith and Sam Gibson from Southampton who also contributed to the satellite, feel the same way.
"We are experiencing what it's like to actively participate in the development of a spacecraft that I get to see go into space first-hand."
Alejandro is one of six students from the three universities to travel to Etlaq Spaceport in Oman , where their Jovian-O payload will launch. They will also be involved with its mission in space.
The small payload, which is roughly the size of a shoebox, contains an earth observation instrument called DAVE, or Dual Aperture for Viewing Earth, used to take images and videos of the planet.
Professor Hendrik Ulbricht from the University of Southampton said: "Jovian-O is a bold initiative accelerating access for a new generation of engineers in the space industry.
"Students like Alejandro get hands-on experience and the opportunity to build their skills and industry connections early.
"With DAVE heading out of our atmosphere and plans for annual JUPITER launches, the future of student-led space exploration is just beginning."
After launch, the DAVE instrument will transmit its data back to students, who will operate a mobile ground station using communications technology from AMSAT-UK .
Director of the Space South Central Enterprise Network Louise Butt said: "This collaborative initiative equips students with practical, real-world space industry experience and training, enhancing their career prospects and helping to address skills gaps in the space sector in Surrey and Hampshire - and beyond."
