Lawrence, KS - Space may be the final frontier, but that's not keeping students at the University of Kansas from boldly trying to get there. A student-led group named KUbeSat is in the process of building a miniature satellite, a CubeSat, that will be launched into space next year.
KUbeSat has been a member of the NASA CubeSat launch initiative since 2018, which will provide a vehicle to deliver the satellite into space, reports the University Daily Kansan.
"We have a camera on it, it is a wide angle lens, and that will be used for ground obeservation and weather patterns," said Wyatt George, a member of the KUbeSat team.
The students are working on cutting edge technology and are relying on companies and outside funding to make their project happen. So far, they have raised $100,000. Most of that money is being used on equipment, with the rest going to fund a trip for the students to see the CubeSat 1 lift off from California in June 2022.
"As a child, I loved Star Wars. And working on something that is going into space, it's a dream," said Brody Gatza, a junior from Olathe, Kansas.
The work on the satellite began in 2017. Arno Prinsloo, project manager, said KU is the first institution in Kansas to ever make a mini satellite.
"I came from South Africa in 2001. So getting something to work on here in the United States, my adopted home, it's just great," said Prinsloo.
The team plans to hold a celebration party showing the live stream of the rocket taking the mini satellite into space.