Interview with Gábor
Kovács who made his master degree in mechatronics engineering at BME Faculty of
Mechanical Engineering (GPK). They received his PhD degree at Chuo University
in Japan, with his study focusing on image processing.
'My research was in connection with small exploration rovers, to be sent
on foreign celestial bodies. These rovers have to be controlled in various
ways. For instance, with remote control, the Moon is easily reachable in a few
seconds. But between Earth and Mars, it takes some minutes, so they are out of
reach in real-time. Thus, the robot can navigate itself with computer vision. From the image, it has to recognize obstacles, for instance, if there is a
rock: the rover has to realize that it cannot cope with the rock and evade.' More
After the successful launch, the SMOG-P PocketQube satellite, developed by BME, has reached orbit and still operating perfectly. An interview with Viktor Józsa and Róbert Kovács, assistant professors of BME, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Energy Engineering, who are lead mechanical engineers of the satellite project.
What was your role in the development of the SMOG-P PocketQube satellite?
Róbert Kovács (RK): The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering joined the project in the fields of structural design, thermal analyses, and other mechanical-vibrational investigations.
Viktor Józsa (VJ): The MaSat-1, the first Hungarian satellite, got to orbit in 2012 and had operated excellently until its return to Earth’s atmosphere in 2015. The most important function of small satellites is the ability to communicate. Thus, mostly electrical engineers, radio amateurs, smaller hobby groups, and university study groups build them. However, reliable operation also requires mechanical engineering knowledge. The 2.7 Kelvin (minus 270 ˚C) background temperature of space is the most important from thermal engineering point of view. Also, the rocket’s vibrations and the acceleration are important since the launching procedure exposes the satellite to the highest load which must be withstood. The role of vibrations and acceleration are highlighted because the majority of rockets are unmanned so they are not limited to 2-3 g. Instead, the payload is exposed to 10 g or even beyond to minimize the launch cost besides the hammer blow-like 100 g acceleration when the first stage is separated. Only then we get to the point to see if the spacecraft is still able to communicate or not. More
