The Optical Reference Calibration Satellite (ORCASat) is a 2U CubeSat (a satellite 227 mm x 100 mm x 100 mm, roughly the size of a tissue box), that is designed and built in-house by students at the University of Victoria (UVic) Centre for Aerospace Research. ORCASat also had major contributions from volunteers at UVic Satellite Design, UBC Orbit, and SFU Sat student engineering teams.

ORCASat is British Columbia’s submission to the Canadian CubeSat Project (CCP). This is the first student-built CubeSat in BC to be launched into space!

The ORCASat mission has two primary objectives:

1.) Train Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) in space science and technology by providing an unrivaled, hands-on learning experience for undergraduate and graduate students. 

2.) Demonstrate new technologies for calibrating Earth-based telescopes by providing a reference light source in orbit.

All HQP involved in the project are university students (undergraduate and graduate) from UVic, UBC, or SFU that contribute to ORCASat by volunteering, or working full-time as part of co-operative education programs. Some members have graduated and continue to work full-time as researchers to gain further experience. Students gain experience in space science and technology by designing, manufacturing, testing, and operating a custom-built spacecraft to complete the science objective. Both the satellite and ground station are designed, assembled, tested, and operated by students.

ORCASat will demonstrate new technologies to calibrate ground-based telescopes and increase the measurement accuracy of the absolute brightness of astronomical objects. ORCASat space and ground segments are innovated, and entirely built by students (with the exception of the ADCS, which is provided by CubeSpace). This is a monumental engineering achievement and the ORCASat alumni have unique and extremely valuable hands-on experience from their contributions to the ORCASat project. Over 25 full time co-operative education students have gained experience from working on ORCASat. Over 150 part-time volunteer students have contributed to ORCASat and learned about space mission design. This number we expect to continue to grow after the spacecraft is launched and students gain experience with day-to-day mission operations and flying the satellite. We are growing the next generation of Canadian space scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in British Columbia that will change the future of the space industry in Canada.

Since its deployment on Decembr 29, 2022, ORCASat is in LEO orbit. On the same day, the first contact has been made with the spacecraft, which is in the process of being commissioned by the team.

Design of a Deployable Tape Spring Half Wavelength Dipole Antenna for the ORCASat Nanosatellite, Levente Buzas, University of Victoria, 2021.

Design and Testing of Planar Inverted-F Antennas with Application to the ORCASAT CubeSat, Diogo Ribeiro Janeiro, Instituto Superior Técnico, 2021.

A Conceptual Design and Evaluation Framework for ADCS for CubeSats, Beatriz Camelo Ribeiro Ferreira Alves, Instituto Superior Técnico, 2021.

Attitude Determination and Control System of the ORCASat, Bernardo Sabino, Instituto Superior Técnico, 2020.

Simulation of a Commercial Off-The-Shelf ADCS with Design of a Pitch Sun Tracking Attitude Mode for the ORCASat, Zeno Pavanello, University of Padova.

Software for Testing and Mitigating Radiation-induced Effects in Commercially Available Integrated Circuits, R. Arthurs and A. Zoltan, 71st International Astronautical Congress (IAC) – The CyberSpace Edition, 12-14 October 2020.

Development of Automated Testing Infrastructure for a CubeSat On-Board Computer, A. Zoltan and R. Arthurs, Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering International Congress 2020.

Hardware and Software Project Management Best Practices for Small Satellite Systems, A. Zoltan and R. Arthurs, Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering International Congress 2020.

Design and Analysis of an Attitude Determination and Control System for the ORCASat Nanosatellite, Bernardo Lobo Fernandes, University of Lisbon, 2019

Students shed new light with box bound for space, R. Watts, Times Colonist, Victoria, 05-May-2018.

First Canadian CubeSat Project Satellites Ready, Marc Boucher, SpaceQ, 06-July-2022.

UVic students craft mini satellite for space mission, J. Bell, Times Colonist, Victoria, 14-Aug-2022.

UVic students to launch satellite into space, CTV News Vancouver Island, 18-Aug-2022.

UVic students to blast new-tech satellite into space, K. Sider, The Martlet, 27-Oct-2022.

West Kootenay-raised engineering student sets sights on the stars, J. Boivin, Castlegar News, 04-Nov-2022.

UVic satellite headed to International Space Station aboard NASA-SpaceX rocket, A. Chan, CTV News Vancouver Island, 21-Nov-2022.

ORCASat Launch, A. Stirling, CFAX 1070, 21-Nov-2022.

Ready for takeoff: UVic satellite launches from Kennedy Space Center this Tuesday, E. Morneau, CHEK News, 21-Nov-2022.

UVic satellite set to blast into space, T. Sharpe, UVic News, 22-Nov-2022.

UVic’s first satellite launch delayed by stormy weather, J. Rudisuela, Capital Daily, 24-Nov-2022.

UVic's ORCASat satellite launches into orbit, P. Arrais, Times Colonist, 29-Dec-2022

The NRC is helping shed light on the Universe with a student-designed satellite, NRC, 20 January 2023

Satellite Spotlight On... ORCASat, SatMagazine By SatNews, 13-02-2023