Tags: Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency, NASA, Satellite Launch, International Space Station, CubeSat
Publication: VentureBeat.com
Publication Date: 12/10/2012

The JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer being released from the airlock and extended into space in preparation to jettison satellites from the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA

Five CubeSats have been successfully launched from the International Space Station (ISS), making it the first time the station performs such task. Commanded by the Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency (JAXA), the spacecraft are now on their way to fulfill their missions.

The CubeSats will take pictures of our planet, log maritime traffic, monitor forest fires, communicate with land via Morse code messages using bright LED lights, and more. They measure approximately 4 cubic inches, weigh less than 3 pounds, and generate their own power via solar panels.

The satellites, four of them built and designed by students, arrived at the ISS on board the JAXA H-II Transfer Vehicle 3 (HTV-3) earlier this summer. They were launched using the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Small Satellite Orbital Deployer. According to reports, both NASA and JAXA are expecting this project to inspire and attract young engineers into the industry.

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