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A "Sprite" nanosatellite - one of some 200 scheduled to be
launched from the KickSat satellite. (KickSat website photo) |
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A scheduled mid-March resupply mission to the International
Space Station reportedly will include the "KickSat" cubesat, for
eventual deployment. The ARRL reports that the Kickstarter-funded satellite is
then supposed to release 200 tiny "sprite" satellites - each the size
of a cracker! - that would become the smallest-ever satellites in Earth
orbit.
According to the AMSAT News
Service, each Sprite has a microcontroller, radio, and solar cells and is
capable of carrying single-chip sensors, such as thermometers, magnetometers,
gyroscopes, and accelerometers. For more information, see <
http://zacinaction.github.io/kicksat/>.
