NASA astronaut Chris Williams pointed a camera out a window on the cupola as a set of CubeSats were deployed outside the Kibo laboratory module by a small satellite orbital deployer into Earth orbit. Students from Mexico, Italy, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan designed the shoe-boxed satellites for a series of Earth observations and technology demonstrations.

CubeSats are a class of nanosatellites – small spacecraft weighing 1-10 kilograms – that use a standard size and form factor. The development of CubeSats has advanced into its own industry with government, industry and academia collaborating for ever increasing capabilities.  CubeSats now provide a cost-effective platform for science investigations, new technology demonstrations and advanced mission concepts.

Image credit: NASA/Chris Williams