Blast Off! Sonoma Students Launch Satellite Thursday

ROHNERT PARK-COTATI, CA — A satellite designed and built by Sonoma State University students is scheduled to launch into space on Thursday, the university announced.

Nicknamed "3UCubed," the CubeSat mini satellite will be carried aboard a rocket launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc in Santa Barbara County. Once deployed, it will measure atmospheric density and electron precipitation in Earth's upper atmosphere.

The CubeSat was developed as part of NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe mission. A team of about 70 college students from Sonoma State, Howard University and the University of New Hampshire -- studying engineering, computing, computer science, and physics -- collaborated to design and build it.

According to Sonoma State, the CubeSat is roughly the size of a loaf of bread. It will orbit in the thermosphere, or upper atmosphere, the same region as the International Space Station.

The students spent five years completing the project, working alongside SSU professors and engineers. In their role, SSU students developed software for the ground station that will communicate with 3UCubed and collect its data. The satellite was fully assembled at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire.

"Working on 3UCubed gave me more than technical skills. It taught me the importance of curiosity, perseverance, and collaboration," said Logan Rubalcava, who graduated from SSU in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in physics. "I learned that STEM isn't just about the science and tech, but also about the people, the mentorship, and the passion we bring to our work."

The launch is scheduled for 10:18 a.m. Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base. A public watch party will take place at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom at https://sonomastate.zoom.us/j/86923907481.

By Sarah Stierch, Bay City News
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