On July 30, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute officially set and registered a national record in the category "Longest Flight of a Ukrainian Nanosatellite in Space." The university's PolyITAN-1 nanosatellite, which has been successfully operating in low Earth orbit for more than 12 years, was entered into the National Register of Records of Ukraine. The achievement was officially certified by Vitalii Zorin, an expert of the National Register of Records of Ukraine.
"Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute is working to restore Ukraine's potential as a spacefaring nation. The university has already launched three of its own satellites. One of them—PolyITAN-1—set a national record this year. What makes this achievement especially significant is that Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute researchers—including faculty members, PhD students, and students—have been directly involved in developing the nanosatellite's components. We have established a complete cycle for the design, manufacturing, and testing of small spacecraft and their subsystems. Our team has developed the satellite's power supply system, which monitors and provides energy to its key onboard subsystems, as well as its thermal control, attitude determination and control, navigation, and communication systems. We have also established a strong educational program to train the next generation of engineers for Ukraine's space sector," commented Anatolii Melnychenko, Rector of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
"PolyITAN-1 is truly remarkable. No one expected the satellite to operate for nearly three times longer than its original design life. Its success is undoubtedly 90% technology and 10% luck," noted Vitalii Zorin, expert of the National Register of Records of Ukraine.
The ceremony was attended by the nanosatellite's developers together with their scientific supervisor, Borys Rassamakin, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Oleksandr Korniienko, representatives of the State Space Agency of Ukraine, the Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, as well as members of the administration of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
"The dream of leaving Earth has always inspired scientists and engineers to achieve great discoveries. Ukraine has always been—and remains—a spacefaring nation, and thanks to teams like those at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, this tradition continues. Today, it is more important than ever to develop our own space technologies and support engineering education, because it is engineering that shapes the country's future. I congratulate the entire team on this remarkable achievement. We will continue working to ensure that engineering education remains prestigious in Ukraine and that talented young people receive the support they deserve. I am confident that the students, postgraduate researchers, and faculty members who contributed to PolyITAN-1 have already achieved—and will continue to achieve—great professional success. Today, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute is present not only on Earth, but also in space," said Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
Here is a polished English translation:
“Today’s event is extremely important not only for those who participated in this project, but also for inspiring the next generation. We want new people to enter the aerospace sector—from Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, from other universities, and from schools. The space industry is the industry of the future, and the role of space and other advanced technologies in our lives will only continue to grow,” said Eduard Kuznetsov, Chairman of the Public Council of the State Space Agency of Ukraine.
PolyITAN-1 was launched into orbit on June 19, 2014, aboard the Ukrainian Dnipro launch vehicle. For more than 12 years, the satellite has been operating in low Earth orbit and continues to transmit telemetry signals. It is the only spacecraft still operational in space among the 33 satellites from 17 countries launched during the same mission.
PolyITAN-1 became Ukraine's first university nanosatellite, laying the foundation for the development of the modern space engineering school at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute—the only university in the country with its own space program. This is one of the reasons why future space engineers choose Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Last year, more than 40% of all applicants admitted to the specialty "Aviation and Rocket and Space Technology" enrolled at the university. This is especially important because the future of the space industry depends on people. The PolyITAN-1 mission marked the beginning of a new generation of multifunctional spacecraft developed at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. These satellites are designed for applications including high-resolution Earth observation, atmospheric research, and other scientific and technological missions.
The development of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute's satellites is the result of many years of collaboration among students, postgraduate researchers, faculty members, and scientists from various faculties and educational and research institutes. It is at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute that future engineers become involved in real space projects while still studying, transforming university laboratories into centers for the development of innovative space technologies.
