{"id":28330,"date":"2026-07-14T15:41:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T19:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=28330"},"modified":"2026-07-14T15:41:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T19:41:51","slug":"student-satellite-projects-july-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=28330","title":{"rendered":"Student satellite projects – July.2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many decades, students in university programs have designed and built small satellites and operated them in orbit. With the arrival of standardized Cubesat designs and hardware, high school and even grade school students have joined in the smallsat fun. Such endeavors grew out of the AMSAT<\/a> initiative of the amateur radio community, which launched the first non-government satellites in 1961.\u00a0 (For more smallsat history, see Satellite Building<\/a> in the HS archives.) Note that the term Amateur Satellites<\/em> refers to the use of amateur radio bands for communications, not the quality of the satellites.<\/p>\n

Here is a brief sampling of recent student smallsat projects and programs:<\/p>\n

**LionCub CubeSat<\/strong>\u00a0 built by the students of the Columbia Space Initiative<\/a> waits aboard ISS for deployment into orbit: Columbia Space Initiative\u2019s \u2018Lion Cub\u2019 satellite reaches International Space Station | Columbia Spectator – June.11.2026<\/a><\/p>\n

On April 11, student-built satellite Lion Cub arrived at the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX rocket. The nanosatellite is scheduled to remain docked at the ISS until June 29, when it will be deployed into low Earth orbit in what Smith described as \u201cvery ceremoniously for us, kind of unceremoniously in video, it just sort of gets ejected out of a launch rail.\u201d At that point, Lion Cub will attempt its central mission: releasing a small stuffed Roaree and photographing it against the backdrop of space.<\/em><\/p>\n

The CubeSat team first formed in 2022, when a group of students set out to build a satellite without fully knowing how they would get it to space. In 2023, the team proposed Lioness, CSI\u2019s larger scientific satellite mission, and secured a NASA launch contract. The team later joined a multi-university collaboration led by California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, to build Lion Cub, a smaller proof-of-concept satellite that Archer Ankrum, SEAS \u201929, a member of the structures team, described as \u201ca test to prepare ourselves\u201d for the full process before the stakes were higher.<\/em><\/p>\n

** Qatar grade school students learn about the design, construction, and applications of smallsats<\/strong>: Students explore space tech through CubeSat challenge | Qatar Tribune – June.18.2026<\/a><\/p>\n

More than 180 Grade-8 students at Qatar Academy Doha (QAD), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), took part in the CubeSat Explorer Challenge- a hands-on learning experience organised by Boeing, INJAZ Qatar and Pure Minds Academy to spark early interest in space, satellite technology and other STEM-related careers.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis programme didn\u2019t just introduce students to space \u2013 it brought space to them. It\u2019s no longer a distant concept, but an accessible, exciting career path they can pursue and build here in Qatar,\u201d said Wael Zaoud, Boeing managing director for the Middle East and North Africa. \u201cQatar is steadily expanding its space capabilities and creating opportunities for the next generation of engineers and researchers. As a company that helped put the first human on the Moon, Boeing is proud to support young talent who will shape Qatar\u2019s aerospace industry.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The CubeSat Explorer Challenge introduced school students to the role satellites play in modern economies. Working in teams, students designed and built miniature satellite prototypes equipped with environmental sensors, programmed microcontrollers, collected live data and presented their findings. Through the experience, students gained insight into how satellite technologies support decision-making in areas such as air quality monitoring and climate research.<\/em><\/p>\n

**\u00a0 MARMOTSat<\/a> CubeSat<\/strong> built by University of Victoria student team reaches orbit to study ionosphere: MARMOTSat takes flight: University of Victoria CubeSat launched into space | Canadian Space Agency – July.8.2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\"University<\/a>
“University of Victoria’s MARMOTSat satellite during integration at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA)”. Credit: Canadian Space Agency<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More about MARMOSat:<\/p>\n