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ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet installed the diamond-based quantum magnetometer of the UHasselt students of OSCAR-QUBE in the ICE Cubes Facility on the ISS. A few hours later, the UHasselt students, who could follow the installation live via the Space Applications Services Mission Control Centre in Zaventem, received the first data about the magnetic field around the Earth. “A fantastic moment of which we as a team are very proud. We are showing that our technology can also be used in space,” says team leader Jaroslav Hruby.
In early 2020, a team of students from the University of Hasselt in Belgium were selected to participate in ESA’s ‘Orbit Your Thesis!’ programme. 400 days later, their resultant project, named OSCAR-QUBE, was launched to the ISS on SpaceX CRS-23 (Aug. 2021) and operated in the ICE Cubes Facility.
The OSCAR-QUBE experiment makes use of a specific type of quantum sensor: a diamond-based magnetometer. This sensor is highly sensitive and capable of high resolution readouts, along with short response times and a large bandwidth. Therefore, it meets the high standards required for space magnetometry readouts, and is thought to enable the generation of a detailed map of the Earth’s magnetic field with unrivaled precision.
By integrating both optical and photoelectric readout methods within a single device, this sensor offers enhanced robustness, precision, and flexibility. Utilizing nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, it combines exceptional sensitivity, temperature stability, and radiation hardness—all while operating at ambient conditions—making it a powerful tool for accurate magnetic field detection in challenging environments.
Make sure to watch the video below:
‘Orbit Your Thesis!’ was a hands-on ESA educational programme aimed at university students across Europe, providing them with expert technical support and the unique opportunity to gain practical experience in key phases of a challenging, real space project destined for the ISS from integration, test and verification, launch and operations. Today, the ESA Academy Experiments programme encompasses and replaces a multitude of programmes previously known as Fly-, Drop-, Spin-, Orbit-Your Thesis! and PETRI. Read more about the programme in its current setup.
Explore the links below and related articles to learn more about the project and related opportunities.
Photo credits: OSCAR-Qube (Hasselt Univ.) / ESA / ICE Cubes
400
days before leaping into space