Five steps to make your space mission sustainable
1. Think about the goal. Do you actually need a space mission to get what you need? Could you solve the scientific problem without going to space?
2. Use as small and light a spacecraft as possible. Additional mass in orbit carries more risk for other satellites. A smaller mass is also cheaper to launch.
3. Go as low as you can go. In low orbits, the atmospheric drag helps to remove spacecraft from space. Remember that small spacecraft can only be launched to orbits where they come down to our atmosphere in less than 25 years.
4. Build your spacecraft carefully and take time to test the software. Many small spacecraft in space don’t function properly because of poor workmanship―and just contribute to space debris.
5. Design with the end-of-life in mind. The satellite needs a brake that lowers the speed of the satellite and isolates batteries at the end of the mission. Remove your equipment from space as soon as your mission allows.
From clean energy to personalized medicine – a book about the power of the university
The Aalto Effect is a tribute to the ambitious and uncompromising work of dozens of researchers.
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Aalto computer scientists in STOC 2025
Two papers from Aalto Department of Computer Science were accepted to the Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC).
Aalto University again ranked Finland’s top university in the QS World University Rankings
Aalto placed 114th globally
New Academy Research Fellows and Academy Projects
A total of 44 Aalto researchers received Academy Research Fellowship and Academy Project funding from the Research Council of Finland – congratulations to all!