Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – SpaceDot / AcubeSAT

SpaceDot is a multidisciplinary team from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, that designs and develops CubeSats for space biology research. Their first project, AcubeSAT, is a 3U+ CubeSat (340.5x100x100 mm + tuna can) designed to investigate the effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation on human-like cells. The satellite carries a miniaturized space biology laboratory capable of performing in situ, high-throughput measurements of microorganism functions in space. This system combines parallel microfluidics (lab-on-a-chip), imaging, automated fluidic control, and environmental monitoring for long-term experiments. AcubeSAT aims to study gene expression on a scale 100-200 times greater than previous missions and provide high-quality visual observations over an extended, multi-month mission. The platform is modular and adheres to an open-source and open-access philosophy, publicly releasing software, hardware, wetware designs, and documentation. Since early 2020, AcubeSAT has been part of the European Space Agency’s Education Office “Fly Your Satellite! 3” programme, which provides expert advice, access to testing facilities in Belgium, workshops, and a launch opportunity. The project has involved over 200 members since 2018, primarily students from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The academic supervisor for the project is Prof. Alkiviadis Chatzopoulos from the Electronics Laboratory of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.