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Eight CubeSats that are part of NASA\u2019s CubeSat Launch Initiative have been integrated into Firefly Aerospace\u2019s deployment hardware and are ready to be encapsulated into the payload fairing of Firefly\u2019s Alpha rocket. The launch, named \u201cNoise of Summer,\u201d will lift off early this summer from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.\u00a0<\/p>\n
University students from several schools, along with some technicians from NASA, brought their small satellites to Firefly for integration with the rocket. The satellites are designed to perform a range of scientific experiments and technical demonstrations including high-speed communications, cosmic ray detection, climate monitoring, and new de-orbiting techniques.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The CubeSats on the ELaNa 43 (Educational Launch of a Nanosatellite) manifest are:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Students are heavily involved in all aspects of their mission from developing, assembling, and testing payloads to working with NASA and the launch vehicle integration teams. The CubeSats are held to rigorous standards like that of the primary spacecraft.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected under NASA\u2019s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020. These VCLS Demo 2 missions can tolerate a higher level of risk and help create opportunities for new launch vehicles, helping grow the launch vehicle market while increasing access to space for small spacecraft and science missions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n