Institute For The Future

DIY micro satellites

"CubeSat is a program at Stanford and California Polytechnic State University to assist college and high school students and companies in building their own tiny satellites and launching them into low Earth orbit. From CNET News.com:

 

The satellites are tiny--they weigh a kilogram and generally measure about 10 centimeters on each side--but they cost far less than conventional commercial satellites. A CubeSat unit costs roughly $40,000 to build and only $40,000 to launch. As part of the program, Cal Poly takes care of the bureaucratic and logistical hurdles.

 

By contrast, a conventional satellite can run between $150 million and $250 million to build and $100 million to launch.

"I kind of look at this as the Apple II. The ordinary person can get something into space," said Bob Twiggs, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford and one of the principals behind CubeSat. "We don't know what the ultimate use is, but look what happened to the Internet."

 

Link to CNET article, Link to the CubeSat Program