Three Apex High seniors built AETHER-12, a 3D-printed CubeSat prototype to survive radiation, heat swings and battery wear. Next: testing and a pitch to JPL.

Three seniors at Apex High School have designed a small satellite meant to stay working in space for longer. Their prototype, AETHER-12, is a 12U CubeSat, and they built a 3D-printed model of it.

The Wake County Public School System described the project in a district story published Tuesday.

The problem they picked

CubeSats are small satellites used for research and data collection. In space they face radiation, sharp temperature changes and battery wear, which can cut short how long they work. The students set out to design ways around those three problems.

Their design includes:

  • solar panels
  • battery systems
  • protective materials against radiation and heat

Who did what

The district said the three split the work:

  • Project lead: drew on earlier STEM work and research into small satellites. Over the summer he took part in an astrophysics research program at Knox College and brought that experience to the project.
  • Lead engineer: drew the computer-aided design models and 3D-printed the prototype. His work covered the structure, how materials respond to heat and stress, and how the systems fit together.
  • Software: built a simulated ground operations system. It shows how a mission control screen could display and read the data a satellite sends home.

“It’s a really good opportunity, I would say, just to work on something like this at a young age,” the project lead told the district. “I’m really grateful to get the opportunity.”

“It’s very satisfying to see how much work goes into something that can be compressed all down into one working system, which is the CubeSat,” the lead engineer said.

Three Apex High seniors in suits read printed design notes together beside a whiteboard covered in notes about panel layout and sensors.
The three seniors go over their design notes. Photo: courtesy of the Wake County Public School System.

The students worked through Ecotek Lab, an organization that has backed their STEM projects with resources and materials. That includes the filament used to print the prototype, the district said.

What comes next

AETHER-12 is still a prototype. The students plan more analysis of its electrical systems, materials and structure. Once that testing is done, they hope to present the project to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

What it means for you

Apex High is part of the Wake County Public School System. Our Apex High School page has more on the school, and our schools guide covers the public schools serving the town.

Has your student, team or club done something worth reporting? Send it, with photos, through our contact page.