[Satellite TODAY 02-07-13] The Satellite Design Lab at the University of Texas has been awarded the first place in the national University Nanosatellite Program competition. Ten universities across the United States participated by designing a building a satellite no bigger than a load of bread over a two-year period.

   A team of UT’s graduate and undergraduate students created the ARMADILLO satellite, which, was designed to measure space debris once in orbit. However, the team still has work to do. The award includes $55,000 for each of the next two years while the team prepares the satellite for an expected takeoff in 2015.

   This is the second win for UT’s Satellite Design Lab, making it the first team to win the event twice. In 2005, their FASTRAC entry, a pair of interacting nanosatellites that have been in space since 2010, earned them top honors in the competition.