Brian Kaplinger - The Jupiter Project: The Ex Terra Podcast

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Dr. Brian Kaplinger, the lead on the Jupiter Project for KSF Space Foundation.

Dr. Kaplinger is an Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Kansas University with a focus on orbital mechanics, and previously served as Deputy Director of the Aldrin Space Institute at the Florida Institute of Technology.

He is the co-author of multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers and is working on a textbook on the Fundamentals of Spaceflight Mechanics.

The Jupiter Project was officially unveiled by the KSF Space Foundation last week. Jupiter is a two-stage reusable suborbital rocket capable of delivering a payload consisting of three CubeSats to an apogee of 102,000 feet. The purpose of the Jupiter Project is to test CubeSats for flight certification.

The 4-meter (≈13-foot) rocket is being built at Kansas University. The first test flight of the Jupiter rocket is planned for October, with the first commercial launch slated for November of this year.

The KSF Space Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to R&D missions to LEO, targeting worldwide universities & institutions. Its mission is to develop technologies that permit cost- effective entry to low earth orbit as well as zero-environmental effect flying solutions.

KSF Space currently offering access to near-space and LEO for research and scientific experiments in the fields of:

- Earth or Space observation
- Biological testing
- Satellite positioning detection
- Earth magnetic field measurement
- Radio transmissions
- Full of atmosphere science
- Technology experiment
- Ecosystem measurements with radiation
- Orbit Micro-technology & Nano-technology hardware & software examination

How does what happens in space affect your everyday life? The Ex Terra podcast is dedicated to introducing you to many of the interesting people involved in the commercial space industry and taking you behind the scenes with many of the companies making significant contributions to the new space economy. The podcast is available on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocketcasts and Radio Public.