About this Project
The Delaware Atmospheric Plasma Probe Experiment (DAPPEr) is a student-led space mission that will be Delaware’s first orbital satellite. In partnership with NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, DAPPEr is slated to be launched to and deployed from the International Space Station in 2026. It will carry a pair of Langmuir probes that will map out the density and temperature of electrons in Earth’s upper atmosphere. DAPPEr will be a CubeSat – a type of very small, highly standardized spacecraft. CubeSats have revolutionized access to space, which has made research projects like this more feasible.
UD students (mostly undergraduates) are truly leading every aspect of the DAPPEr mission, from management to electrical and mechanical design. Students are developing some of DAPPEr’s key components, including its Langmuir probes and flight computer, from scratch. For other components, such as its chassis and batteries, students are working with vendors to select the best commercial options.
Funding for the DAPPEr’s components is provided by a 2023 NASA grant, but the team only has a small budget for travel to CubeSat conferences and to meet with collaborators from other institutions – including the University of California, Berkeley and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. These conferences and meetings are important events for promoting the DAPPEr mission, allowing the team to learn more about developing CubeSats, and providing collaboration opportunities with other students and mentors.
Donor Impact: How your support makes a difference!
Students who traveled to the 2024 CubeSat Developers Workshop (San Luis Obispo, CA) found the meeting invaluable. They established connections with students and researchers across the country, met with vendors and learned more about designing and developing a space mission. The number of students we can take to conferences and other meetings in 2025 is directly dependent on our ability to raise additional funds. The more we raise, the more students we can take. Thank you for your support!
Gifts will be designated to UD’s CubeSat fund and directed to support student travel related to the project.
