NASA's upcoming mission to launch student-built satellite '3U-Cubed'
A group of undergrad students from the University of New Hampshire, Sonoma State University, and Howard University have built a satellite called 3UCubed—and it's about to hitch a ride into space with NASA's IMAP mission on November 10, 2025.
The launch is happening from California aboard a SpaceX rocket.
The satellite will help in understanding solar wind
3UCubed's main job is to study how solar wind impacts Earth's atmosphere, which could make space weather forecasts more accurate—pretty important for keeping satellites and communication systems running smoothly.
Built over five years by 70 students handling everything from coding to testing, the project has already inspired many toward careers in space.
As Noe Lugaz from UNH put it, the collaboration helps students learn "everything from designing an instrument to operating it in orbit."