Drones and Butterflies : A Low-Cost UAV System for Rapid Detection and Identification of Unconventional Minefields

Aerially-deployed plastic landmines in post-conflict nations present unique detection and disposal challenges. Their small size, randomized distribution during deployment, and low-metal content make these mines more difficult to identify using traditional methods of electromagnetic mine detection. Perhaps the most notorious of these mines is the Sovietera PFM-1 “butterfly mine,” widely used during the decade-long Soviet-Afghan conflict between 1979 and 1989. Predominantly used by the Soviet forces to block otherwise inaccessible mountain passages, many PFM-1 minefields remain in place due to the high associated costs of access and demining. While the total number of deployed PFM-1 mines in Afghanistan is poorly documented, PFM-1 landmines make up a considerable percentage of the estimated 10 million landmines remaining in place across Afghanistan. Their detection and disposal presents a unique logistical challenge for largely the same reasons that their deployment was rationalized in inaccessible and sparsely populated areas of the country

New Zealand\u27s First Science Satellite Mission

New Zealand has been a space-faring nation since 2017. Rocket Lab USA provides access to orbit for its clients, launching from the east coast of the North island. Joining the select club of nations that can reach space has spurred significant interest in New Zealand’s economic, research and cultural spheres. As university educators we seek to provide our students with the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to contribute to local and international space economy. We present here an introduction to New Zealand’s first science satellite, APSS-I, and Te Pūnaha Ātea Auckland Space Institute