With the professional and research contribution of Óbuda University, in cooperation with the consortium partners, and as a result of significant development work, the WREN satellite will be ready for launch by the end of 2023. Once in orbit, it will regularly transmit remotely sensed data from Hungary.
On board the satellite, a multispectral SWIR camera and position measurement devices will be installed, as well as a micro-vibration monitoring unit developed by the University of Óbuda. The aim of the project is to provide a forecast of areas at risk of drought during periods of increasing precipitation deficit due to the effects of global climate change, based on continuously updated data. Thanks to drought monitoring, drought damage can be mitigated. Using the data from the 116 monitoring stations set up by the National Water Directorate General, complemented by high-resolution, multispectral satellite imagery, a system and technology can be developed that will provide greater predictability for agriculture, including farmers. Using the potential of artificial intelligence, the processing of satellite imagery will provide timely data and information on soil moisture and crop conditions, alerting farmers to the need for intervention.
Thanks to the experience gained from research using data from the currently available satellites, the large number of measurements made on soil samples from the test area, the discussions with the developers and, last but not least, the effective cooperation of the consortium members, the satellite was ready by December 2023 and was available for close-up inspection by the WREN project participants.
For months, the development work was carried out under near-sterile conditions. Shortly before the launch, the developers gave a detailed demonstration of the almost finished satellite and explained the details of its deployment and orbiting. The launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher, which will deliver WREN and tens of other satellites on the mission, is scheduled for the near future.
The first priority after launch is to establish the link between the satellite and the ground receiving station. The units on board the satellite will have to perform a number of tasks, such as providing the necessary power for operation, controlling the cameras, taking images of Hungary at regular intervals, storing them and transmitting them to the ground station. The developers plan to program the on-board computer of the satellite from Earth once a suitable connection has been established and the first images have been successfully transmitted.
