Buffalo Grove student designs satellite for NASA launch

Buffalo Grove resident and Stevenson High School graduate Logan Hanssler will lead a University of Chicago team developing a satellite that NASA will send into orbit in 2026.
Courtesy of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago/Dee Ringgenberg

A rendering shows the University of Chicago satellite students, including Stevenson High School graduate Logan Hanssler, preparing for a NASA launch in 2026. The satellite will use lasers rather than radio waves to send signals back to Earth.
Courtesy of PULSE-A

If in the future you can communicate on your devices faster and more securely, you may have a 19-year-old from Buffalo Grove to thank.

Logan Hanssler, a Stevenson High graduate currently studying molecular engineering and astrophysics at the University of Chicago, is leading a team designing a small research satellite that NASA plans to send into orbit in 2026.

The PULSE-A – short for Polarization ModUlated Laser Satellite Experiment – ​​measures just 10 centimeters by 10 centimeters by 23 centimeters, a little smaller than a roll of paper towels.

But by sending signals from space using lasers rather than radio waves, it aims to have a big impact on the speed and security of communications.

“The big appeal of laser communication is that lasers use a higher frequency than radio waves, which means you can transmit data much faster,” Hanssler said, adding that laser signals are also less sensitive to jamming and interference.

He and his University of Chicago classmates sent their satellite proposal to NASA in November. The space agency accepted it in March, and Hanssler is now preparing to help lead the project team into the next stage, called the concept development phase.

“The proposal simply asked, ‘What are you looking to build?’ ” “, did he declare. “Now we have to think: ‘What does this really mean?’ What are the systems that we need to put in place to make the satellite, the ground station and everything that goes together actually work? »

This phase will end on June 2, when the group will present to several systems engineering experts and professors who will provide feedback.

Next comes the design phase, during which the systems will be tested in the laboratory, with the group deciding which components to assemble. By March 2026, everything should be ready for a summer launch.

NASA plans to send the satellite into orbit as part of its CubeSat launch initiative, which offers small satellites built by U.S. educational institutions and nonprofit organizations the opportunity to fly in future launches.

While the PULSE-A satellite will focus on space-to-ground communications, other CubeSats chosen by NASA will delve into areas such as space climatology and LED-induced blue light pollution.

Logan Hanssler of Buffalo Grove at work in the lab at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. He works with a model for part of the optical path of PULSE-A. Hanssler will lead a team that will build a small satellite that NASA will put into orbit in 2026.
Courtesy of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago/Dee Ringgenberg

Hanssler discovered his interest in astrophysics and aerospace engineering at Stevenson High in Lincolnshire, where he belonged to the Physics Club and entered a competition to design a space colony.

Today, this second-year student is part of a pioneering effort at the University of Chicago.

He discovered the project during his first term in 2022, when its director was recruiting a team of more than 60 students from the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, the Department of Physics, the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Astronomy and of astrophysics.

Hanssler said he plans to pursue a doctorate in space systems engineering and hopes to become a satellite developer and researcher.

“This is incredibly relevant to my long-term goals, and it’s a big part of why I enjoy the project,” he said.

NASA’s decision to move forward with its proposal was “absolutely incredible,” he said.

“When I first heard the news, I was just in shock. I didn’t even know how to react,” Hanssler added. “It’s a life-changing experience for us.”

A rendering shows the PULSE-A satellite designed by a team of University of Chicago students, led by Buffalo Grove resident Logan Hanssler.
Courtesy of PULSE-A