International Space Station Launches First Ever Child-Created Miniature Satellite

The International Space Station launched CubeSat, a mini-satellite that is first of its kind.

The miniature satellite was a breakthrough project built by a group of grade school students from St, Thomas More Cathedral School in Virginia. Prior to being launched in space, it was first deployed to the space station last December 6, 2015.

Through NASA's Cubesat Launch Initiative, this group of students had the opportunity to build their CubeSat. The CubeSat is a product of a three-year-old project participated by 400 pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade students from said Arlington -based school. Apart from learning how to assemble their own spacecraft, the students also learned how to operate radios and construct ground stations that serve as communication channels to the satellite

This satellite, which was launched from the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer (NRCSD),is tasked to take several photos of the Earth which are to be transmitted  from  an orbit about 250 miles above the planet.  It is also accompanied by other CubeSats including the ones built by the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado Boulder.

The student creators of the said satellite were led and guided by Joe Pelligrino, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Deputy Project Manager. Their output was one of the selected CubeSats which were selected to be deployed via NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ElaNa) IX mission.  This mission was established to allow CubeSats that are successfully developed by educational institutions, differently nonprofit organizations, and Nasa centers be launched in space.

Since the onset of 2010, NASA's ElaNa project has already deployed 46 out of the 100 selected CubeSats. The selection was based on public announcements and responses gathered by the group through the NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative project. According to NASA, they are also looking forward to receiving more proposals and responses starting mid-August of this year.