A set to create a personal microsatellite can be purchased now.

Startup PocketQubes from Glasgow invites everyone to design their satellite. True, very small, so-called. a picosatellite - a cube with an edge of 5 cm. But the cost of bringing such a satellite into orbit is extremely low compared to a conventional one - $ 20 thousand. At the same time, the satellite can still perform useful actions. The set itself costs $ 6000 . Thanks to the successful launch of the Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr-1 rocket (it is gratifying to recognize the presence of successful Russian-Ukrainian projects), four pocket dice are already in orbit, including the still working $ 50SAT, which Bob Twiggs, author of the project, developed for less than $ 250.

The kit includes a cube frame, a radio card, an on-board computer on a TI MSP430 microcontroller, and a Labsat programmable debug board. For an additional fee, you can add an antenna (from $ 1000), solar panels (from $ 5000) and purchase frames in the size of 2 or 3 standard cubes. Add to this the twenty for launching - and here it is, your real personal satellite in Earth orbit. Some parts are still in development, they promise to sell in advance before the next launch of the rocket, scheduled for early 2016.


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From such projects, it should be noted KickSats , which could not be put into orbit by the SpaceX rocket, and cheaper TubeSats , which have so far failed to make a single launch. There is also the CubeSats standard for cubic satellites with a volume of 1 liter (a cube with a side of 10 cm) - they can accommodate more equipment, but their launch now costs almost $ 300 thousand .