T-Sat-1

T-Sat-1 was the Knights Satellite Club's second balloon-based CubeSat mission and the direct successor to T-Sat-0. The goal was not to introduce a new experiment but to refine and validate the systems first flown on T-Sat-0.

The most important change was the elimination of accelerometer-based freefall detection, which had caused premature parachute deployments on T-Sat-0. The software was restructured to rely solely on barometric altitude readings, ensuring the parachute deployed only once the payload crossed the programmed altitude threshold in true free fall.

T-Sat-1 flew on June 21, 2025 from the UCF Arboretum, reaching approximately 125m (410ft). The burnwire mechanism worked correctly and the parachute deployed successfully at the correct altitude — validating that the iterative, semester-to-semester development process works.