A group of engineering students at the University of Kansas have successfully put a satellite into space, a first for any institution from kansas. The satellite reached orbit on July 3rd when it was launched with the help of NASA’s Firefly Aerospace Alpha Rocket, which contained eight satellites in total.
KU’s satellite is described as a “nanosatellite,” measuring only about the size of a loaf of bread and weighing about three pounds. Its launch into space is part of the NASA Initiative Program which offers educational institutions and nonprofits a chance to share room on NASA rockets. The university’s satellite will measure the energy and type of primary cosmic rays hitting earth over the course of its one to two-year mission. Another part of the satellite will measure very high frequency signals created by cosmic interactions within earth’s atmosphere. Information collected through the satellite will be used for academic research and development.
