2026
The first SDU Space Challenge
On Friday 24 April, FKF hosted the first SDU Space Challenge at SDU in collaboration with the Danish hyperspectral camera company QTechnology and Newtec Engineering A/S.
The Space Challenge, a 3-day hackathon, was organized by Simon Walsøe Wadowski and Mikkel Theiss Kristensen from Physics and was part of activities under the new Climate, Space and Physics educational profile, as well as the Danish Student CubeSat programme (DISCO).
Over the course of the challenge, three student teams explored applications of hyperspectral imaging for use both on the ground and in space. The winning team proposed new methods for improved moisture control during construction processes.
A big thank you to Rathan from ERT and Sune from TEK Innovation for serving on the judging panel.
In August, SDU will host the annual CubeSat 101 summer course, where students will once again have the opportunity to design future space missions focused on the protection of ecosystems and civil security.
Group photo of the judges.
The winning team presenting.
New short astrophysics talk on dark matter and axions
Manuel Meyer recently visited Bertil Dorch’s office to talk about his research and his hunt for dark matter particles in the university’s basement, where he is searching for potential particles called axions. Watch the talk and get wiser on a complex topic in just about 10 minutes. See it all here:
First Signal Received from Satellite DISCO‑2
On Monday, March 30, our satellite, DISCO‑2, was launched into space from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX rocket. At liftoff, nine Merlin engines tore the air apart, as loud as a volcano, spitting out fire at a velocity capable of lifting the more than 500‑ton and almost 70‑metre‑tall rocket.
Now, the satellite floats silently around the Earth weighing 5,200 grams and measuring 37 centimetres; it travels at a velocity of 7,500 metres per second at an altitude of around 550 kilometres. So, we did it! We developed a satellite, had it launched into orbit, and the night after the launch we waited for the first contact.
After repeated attempts and a long series of "no response" messages, the moment finally came. On Tuesday morning at 4:58 Danish time, the onboard radio answered from space. The data readout showed a bus voltage of 15,953 millivolts. The satellite is doing well, the batteries are healthy, charging correctly, and temperatures are stable.
DISCO‑2 is the first science‑driven mission in the DISCO programme. Equipped with two optical cameras and one infrared camera, the satellite will focus on climate research by capturing high‑resolution images of Greenland. The mission will study glacier movement, snow cover, melt dynamics, and coastal ecosystems, contributing to a better understanding of environmental change.
Looking for a place among the stars?... or within a physics laboratory?
Sofie Marie Koksbang has an opening for a PhD in Cosmology, and Manuel Meyer is looking for highly motivated students with a strong physics background and experience in optics (cryogenics and programming are a plus) for a PhD in Experimental Particle Physics.
Deadline has passed. We are now looking forward to welcoming new members of the teams.
2025
Funding for Manuel Meyer
Manuel Meyer has received DKK 3.168.000 from the Independent Research Fund Denmark for the project "Realizing Ultra-low Backgrounds for Cryogenic Single Photon Detectors for Axion Dark Matter Searches".
Detecting dark matter (DM) particles — believed to make up more than 80% of all matter in the universe — remains one of the most fundamental problems in physics. One of the most promising DM candidates is the axion, which can be detected in high-precision experiments far smaller than particle accelerators, through a rare process where axions are converted into electromagnetic radiation in a strong magnetic field. An example is so-called “light-through-a-wall” experiments, where powerful lasers pass through a magnetic field. Some of the photons are converted into axions that cross an opaque barrier and are then converted back into photons in a magnetic field on the other side. This conversion is expected to produce about one photon per day, requiring detectors with extremely high efficiency and very low background noise. Such performance may be achieved with single-photon detectors operating below -271 °C. Meyer’s goal is to reduce detector background to record-low levels, enabling experiments to search for axions. To achieve this, the project will develop a cryogenic optical filter that blocks photons of the wrong wavelength. The filter will also have applications beyond dark matter research — for instance, in quantum information technology.
New short talk about Gamma-ray astrophysics
Bartil Dorch and Atreya Acharyya take a moment to talk about Atreya's research on Gamma-rays among other things. You can watch the talk and get wiser on some complicated astrophysics in just about 10 minutes. See it all here:
International Cosmic Ray Conference
This summer two representatives from the Manuel Meyer Research Group participated in the ICRC in Geneva. Both presented their novel results, and one won the award for best poster. Well done Atreya Acharyya, and huge congratulations to Sara Porras Bedmar.
Get a glimps of the whole thing at LinkedIn.
Project RATATOSK
Project RATATOSK, a student-led project involving engineering, physics, and computer science students from the University of Southern Denmark and Aarhus University, is part of the REXUS/BEXUS programme organized by DLR, SNSA, ESA, SSC, and MORABA. The project focuses on a twofold experiment for a stratospheric balloon launch, developing a thermal camera for animal tracking and an x-band telecommunication link.
Recently, the team took part in a Critical Design Review (CDR) at the European Space Agency’s ESTEC facility in the Netherlands, where they presented their progress and plans for the mission (see photo below). The team is now moving forward with the next steps in preparation for the upcoming launch in beginning of October 2025.
Article about Manuel Meyer
Read more about Manuel in this article: Hunting Dark Matter Particles in the University Basement.
2024
Get an introduction to Einstein's Universe
Sofie Marie Koksbang delivered a talk about Einstein, the universe, observations and mysteries in December 2024. See it here (youTube).